There is a gentle breeze and the air is full of floating white fluffy seeds from the clump of three white willow trees over near the paddock fence. It’s possible to watch the seeds leave their catkin and dance away on the wind until they are out of sight. White willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Catkins appear in early spring. The male catkins are 4-5 cm long while female catkins are 3-4 cm long and a bit narrower than the male. After pollination by insects, the female catkins lengthen and develop small capsules, each containing tiny seeds encased in white down. These white feathery attachments help seeds to float on the wind like a dandelion seed head. I slowed the film down so that I could see more clearly their dance on the wind.
As I stand under the willows I am amazed at the entertainment before my eyes and I become enveloped by the participants. I step outside the tree and look across the almost horizontal flow of floating seeds. They dissapear out of sight. The wind is blowing to the east and the seeds flow like a river in that direction. I walk to the far edge of the field over 50m away and they are still floating past me. Some get caught on the hedge but a multitude carry on into and across the next field. This is an annual cycle. On my camera I notice I had filmed the same event on May 18th almost exactly one year ago.
As I stand under the willows I am amazed at the entertainment before my eyes and I become enveloped by the participants. I step outside the tree and look across the almost horizontal flow of floating seeds. They dissapear out of sight. The wind is blowing to the east and the seeds flow like a river in that direction. I walk to the far edge of the field over 50m away and they are still floating past me. Some get caught on the hedge but a multitude carry on into and across the next field. This is an annual cycle. On my camera I notice I had filmed the same event on May 18th almost exactly one year ago.
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