Pussy Willows - Living With Expectancy 💕

"By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
On the willows there we hung up our harps."

I have been enamoured by the Pussy Willow as far back as I can remember! 

Growing up, I vividly recall that we had a bit of a wet area in our side yard in Mount St. Patrick and each spring our little Pussy Willow grove flourished and gave us great joy. We remember that in the Old Testament God tells people to bring their “first fruits” to the Temple as a sign that all that we have comes from God. The pussy-willow is one of the plants whose flower buds open fully in early spring.

Now we worry about a piece of bread, about a roof over our heads, about our social conditions. And it seems to us that the meaning of life consists of this. But the Church says, Look at the pussy willows: leaves will sprout and later flowers and fruit. So it is even in a Christian soul.

Permit me, please, to impart a bit of cat-kin knowledge for your enjoyment and edification.  I hope! 

The Pussy Willow tree (Salix discolour) is a native all across Southern Canada right up to the Rocky Mountains. It bears small soft furry-looking silver-grey catkins, but only on the 'male' tree. As they age (within a few weeks), they become larger in size (up to 1" long) and turn yellowish in appearance. 

The 'female' tree bears catkins also, but hers are considerably smaller, and spikey-looking in the beginning, but soon change into what looks like greenish-coloured hairy caterpillars. 🥰

The catkin-bearing plants in Canada include many trees and shrubs such as birch, willow, hickory, sweet chestnut and sweetfern (Comptonia). 

See, I told you I love them! 　 

It doesn't seem right to end this post without a photo so I've included a photo of a bouquet of Iris, Daffodil and of course, Pussy Willow branches that a dear friend brought me not too many springs ago (2017). Aren't they simply beautiful? 

"The Pussy willow is the one that tells the rest of the world and all the other flora, and trees and bushes it's time to wake up."  Anonymous

Take care, keep singing and keep growing!

Rose Naomi

💕🙏🎼🍀🌹