3/02/08

Sunday, 8:30 AM. 20 degrees, wind SSE, calm. Barometer predicts precipitation. Rain and snow were predicted by the media but have not arrived as yet.
I found a pussy willow in bloom at the Sioux River beach yesterday and went into the snow above my knees collecting a few branches in the interest of scientific investigation, those now residing in a vase on the dining table.
The pussy willow, Salix caprea, is native to northern Europe and Asia, and is present here as an escape from cultivation. I don’t know if it hybridizes with native species or not, probably not since it flowers so early. But willows, over 300 species worldwide, are daunting to pin down, and I don’t pretend to be at all expert at it. Anyway, the blossoms were a sure and welcome sign of spring, their flowering obviously triggered by day length rather than just warm temperatures, as we have had very few such days. Temperature does have an affect on their blossoming, however, as the remaining unopened buds are now beginning to open in the warmth of the house.