The other day I was running a couple of errands during my lunch hour and took a side street I don’t regularly travel. I was surprised to see a young willow tree in a small residential front yard. That’s not something I see very often, and as you may know, I keep an eye out for my Salix friends.
As my dad learned many years ago, willow trees are rare in residential yards because they have aggressive, moisture-seeking roots that can ruin plumbing and crack home foundations. They are also incredibly thirsty, sucking up copious amounts of water, and so they are most commonly seen on creek banks or in low lying areas.
Driving the country roads to visit my sister recently, I saw a couple young willows on either side of a driveway. The house was quite far off the road. And then closer to my sister’s house, there are a couple of very old willows which I’ve seen many times. One of them has a trunk with a huge girth, his larger more mature branches broken and gone in days past. I have respect for old broken willows that persevere, sprouting young leaf covered branches from their solid base.
I admit that often, when I’m on a long car journey, I’ll have my head down, reading a book or writing in my journal. But I also enjoy keeping an eye out for willows and sometimes my enthusiasm is contagious and someone else in the car will see one before me and point it out. That makes me ridiculously happy.
On car rides when I was a kid, we would keep an eye out for cows, horses – actually any animals, I guess. What do you look for when you’re in the car? In the winter – particularly during the coldest months – I watch for animals, especially dogs that might be lost or in distress. I send my son text messages, “It’s single digit temperatures today. Keep your eyes peeled for unattended dogs. If you’re late for work, you can tell your boss that your mom said it’s more important to help a friend!”
I need to go back and take pictures of a few new willows I’ve seen this spring – and maybe some others that I keep on my radar. I’m not a great photographer. And they’re often in places that are not convenient for taking pictures. (I’ve had to have a traffic spotter watch for me while I stand in the middle of the road trying to get a good shot.) Here are a few of my favorites.
Do you have any interesting willows near you? Let me know, or better yet, send me a picture.
Once Upon a Willow 