Saturday, February 3, 2007

Pussy Willow

Since New York City had its warmest winter last year, some plants are beginning to bloom earlier than expected.

This photo of a pussy willow tree was taken earlier this week when I was waiting for the bus to go home. Pussy willow (salix discolor) got its name from the soft furry buds that form on the naked branch during late winter. The silky texture and grey colors of the buds resemble cats' paws. In early spring, the buds bloom to produce medium size white and pink flowers.

Click to enlarge the photo and you can almost feel the furry buds. Meow!!


9 comments:

isa said...

Love pussy willow - reminds me of Easters spent in Europe where they sell them in bunches on the streets. But this is very early for New York! Still, it gives you hope, right?

Anonymous said...

Pussy Willow? Also a Chinese New Year plant/flower. :)

Anonymous said...

Had never seen them before. Love their furry look.

Irredento Urbanita said...

In the Nature we will always find a endless fountain of beauty

www.DeltaMovies.com said...

Nice pic...you got a little Depth of Field starting to show here...

Cool
B.

Unknown said...

you can see them on sale all over chinatown in singapore.

actually, i was at Ikea earlier, pussy willow's on sale there too!

angela said...

We call them Pussy Willow too. As a child I used to love the furriness of the buds. It's interesting that you've captured the fuzziness in the photo.
Angela

Ming the Merciless said...

Thanks Angela. I was playing with the macro feature of the camera. Still learning about photography and how to use the camera.

www.DeltaMovies.com said...

I like! The inside scoop from our reporter on the ground! sshhhh...

Wish I were there.

B.