Bee-friendly Plant of the Month - the Willow

Following on from last month’s plant, the crocus, March brings another good source of pollen for our bees, though a less showy one - the willow. And like the crocus, the willow has a long history of medicinal use. Though it is hard to imagine now, malaria was once a widespread disease in the British Isles, particularly in the damp, low-lying fens of East Anglia. In the guise of the ague or marsh fever, it claimed thousands of lives from the fifteenth century up until its eventual eradication in this country in the nineteenth century. A popular folk remedy for the ague was a bitter infusion of the bark of the willow, a common tree in the damp areas where malaria was prevalent. This was known to reduce the symptoms of malaria, particularly the associated fever. In the nineteenth century the active ingredient of this infusion, salicylic acid, was identified and from this acetyl salicylic acid - or aspirin - was eventually synthesised.

There are 18 species of Salix native to the British Isles, and they range in form from dwarf shrubs of the arctic-alpine highlands to woodland trees. Many of the commoner species are medium sized shrubs to small trees, and are particularly associated with wet ground and river banks. Their fluffy seeds are wind-dispersed and short-lived, relying on a successful touch-down on damp mud for germination. Their other method of propagation is to shed twigs and branches, which have a remarkable ability to take root. For that reason, never use willow for fence posts, or you will find your fence sprouting leaves.

Willows are also alarmingly promiscuous, cross-breeding readily to form a bewildering range of hybrids, a nightmare for the botanist. Amongst these hybrids and varieties are many commercially important forms, such as the osiers used for basket weaving and that English essential, the cricket bat willow. But in terms of early spring pollen production, it is Salix caprea, the goat or pussy willow, which is the real star. Goat willow can tolerate drier ground than many of its relatives, and as such is found in a wider range of habitats, including damp woodlands and hedgerows. It is the classic willow of Palm Sunday, producing its distinctive silvery catkins in time for Easter, though it bears almost no resemblance to the palms of the Holy Land.

But it is the male catkins, of course, that are of interest to the beekeeper. These start off with a sheen of silvery hairs, but soon the stamens open and each catkin becomes dusted with bright yellow pollen. Their resemblance to newly-hatched chicks has led to a number of local vernacular names, such as goose-and-goslings or the wonderful Shropshire variation, goose-and-gubblies.