Staring at willows

21 Friday Mar 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, trees

Tags

Bombus hypnorum, Bombus terrestris, Brimstone, British butterflies, Buff-tailed bumblebee, butterflies feeding on willow flowers, insects feeding on willow flowers, insects on willow, Small tortoiseshell, Tree bumblebee, willow

This is your occasional reminder, if you are interested in spotting flying insects, that it is a very good idea at this time of year, when the various willows (Salix species) are coming in to flower, to spend a little staring at these trees. That is partly how I came to find so many butterflies yesterday. Several of the Brimstones I saw, in particular the two females that were feeding up prior to egg-laying, and the beautiful Small tortoiseshell were all found initially on willow flowers.

The fluffy yellow flowers were also providing much needed sustenance for a variety of flies, for honey bees and hoverflies. Due to their larger size, I was also able to see at least two species of bumblebee, Buff-tailed (Bombus terrestris) (left below) and Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) (below right).

Euura pavida

13 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

British sawflies, Euura pavida, Euura pavida larvae, Nematus pavidus, sawfly larvae, sawfly on willow, willow, willow species

After last week’s heatwave (which kept me indoors a couple of days – I do NOT like the heat!), Monday’s walk was deliciously cool, if a little damp from un-forecast rain, and, even better, I found two new-to-me creatures. The first was a new species of sawfly larvae that I spotted when I saw this barely-there leaf. I’m always curious when I see leaves like this to find what has caused the damage.

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It didn’t take long to find the culprits this time – at least 20, possibly more, hungry larvae munching the tough leaves of a willow species right down to their veins.

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Previously known as Nematus pavidus, their species name has now changed to Euura pavida. The larvae are usually found chewing on willow leaves but can also be found on Alder and Poplar. You can see what the adult sawfly looks like on The Sawflies (Symphyta) of Britain and Ireland website.

230913 euura pavida (1)

Pussy willow

21 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in trees

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Tags

Pussy willow, signs of spring, willow, willow flowers, Willow tree

They call them pussy willows,
But there’s not a cat to see,
Except the little furry toes
That stick out on the tree.

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I think that very long ago
When I was just born new,
There must have been whole pussy cats,
Where just the toes stick through.

And every spring it worries me,
I cannot ever find
Those willow cats that ran away
And left their toes behind.

~ ‘The Willow Cats’, Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978), American poet, novelist, and Pulitzer Prize winner

93/366 Cat’s-paw

02 Thursday Apr 2020

Posted by sconzani in nature, spring, trees

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British trees, catkins, Pussy willow, willow, willow catkins

By sheer coincidence, author Robert Macfarlane’s ‘word of the day’ today on Twitter is cat’s-paw.

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He writes about them: ‘nickname for catkins of the smaller willows/sallows (Goat willow, pussy willow, grey willow); among the earliest signs of spring; first grey & silky, then growing a glowing aura of tiny flowers. Often brought into houses at Easter/on Palm Sunday.’

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I had already decided that today’s post would be on this same topic so here are the photos I’ve been collecting over the past week or so. These are of different trees so it’s quite likely they are not all the same species of willow (and I’m useless at working out which is which), but I love the way the catkins develop from soft furriness to beautiful bursts of yellow, and the insects love them too.

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