A Year in the Valley

Goat willows border and overhang the watermeadow, so we get the benefits of the shade and any wildlife that might be associated with them.  They are mature trees with grey fissured trunks; some are pollarded, and others thinned out.  The leaves are smaller and more oval than our grey/hybrid willow.  The pussy willow buds appear before the leaves.  They start off furry and the male ones become bright yellow with pollen and the female ones pale and spikey.  Goat willows will tolerate a dryer habitat but prefer to live in damp areas.