Below, you see the furry catkins of American pussy willow (Salix discolor) soaking up sunlight yesterday. Pussy willow catkins usually are the first sign that winter has lost its grip, although we’re never surprised by an April snow here. (By the way, “catkins” is a botanical term for slim flower clusters with tiny or nonexistent petals; the term is not limited to plants that have feline-sounding names.)
Of course, the common name for this furry plant, “pussy willow,” is due to the resemblance of its catkins to cat or kitten paws. That “fur” only is on male pussy willows to protect their flower pollen from the elements. The male flowers have no petals or scent; they’re just stamens loaded with pollen.
The cat fur soon will be shed, allowing the stamens to cast massive amounts of dusty pollen to the wind, often producing small, drifting yellow clouds. The wind has the job of making sure that some pollen finds eagerly awaiting female flowers and that some pollen finds the noses of bunch hikers so that they will sneeze and stop talking loudly. Okay, that was peevish; that last sentence is only half true. (Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on March 30, 2022.)