Thursday 20 March 2014

Help Solve a Mystery..

Can anyone help us identify a tree growing in our garden please?

Back in September, 2011, we put out a plea for help identifying a tree from in the garden. We got some feedback but no identification. 

As it is covered with catkins at the moment perhaps this will clinch it, so here goes...

Tree in leaf..
Close up of leaf..
Bark...
Bare tree..
And catkins.....


Any help identifying this tree would be much appreciated! The bees love it!

2 comments:

Tim said...

Firstly...
it is a willow!
Secondly...
with those leaves it is a Goat Willow [Salix caprea agg.]...
also known as Great Sallow...
often called "Pussy Willow"...
or a hybrid thereof...
it crosses like crazy, hence the agg after the name.

There are varieties bred especially to attract pollinators....
one imaginatively named BE24...
rather like the BF15 potato!!
Ours is fully out, too, and is covered in insects.
It is a very important willow species...
especially when you get a funny start to the year like this.

I missed that post first time round or would have let you know then.

I'm taking cuttings from ours this year to move some nearer the orchard...
but on the other side of the millstream.

Jean said...

I was going to offer to look it up in my book of trees but it's always easier to ask Tim, or Pauline, or Susan !!