Willows — Consider the Shrubby Thicket
by Karen Ferrell-Ingram

A willow thicket could be a crowded place if all the creatures who lived there showed up at one time. There might be ruby-crowned kinglets gleaning insects from the upper branches while a long-eared owl sits on eggs deep inside the thicket. A doe with a fawn might spend the hottest part of the day curled up on a grassy bed inside this shrubby thicket as mourning cloak butterflies lay their eggs on the green willow shoots. Completing the menagerie, among the buzzing of countless insects, could be our largest wild mammal, a black bear looking for a safe and sheltered place to nap.

Willows are the work horses of the native plant world, providing something for everyone. The eastern Sierra is blessed with many different species, ranging from the 3-inch tall Salix arctica in the high Sierra to the 30-foot tall Salix goodingii tree on the floor of the Owens Valley. The scientific name for the willow genus, Salix, is thought to come from Gaelic words meaning "near water." Interested observers will have noticed that willows always occur in moist or wet soil and so are the main component of what is referred to as "riparian habitat." The Eastern Sierra Land Trust recognizes the importance of riparian habitat in our high desert country and is working through our Wildlife and Plant Communities Program to preserve these critical areas.

Male and female flowers are produced on separate plants in willows. The female catkins that carry the seeds are fairly inconspicuous while the pollen-bearing male catkins are more showy, forming the famous silky pussy willows that herald spring. The willows are pollinated by bees and other insects and the short-lived seed ripens quickly. Dispersed by the wind, the seed is only viable for a day or two so it must land on moist soil if it is to germinate. Our most common willow, Salix exigua or the coyote willow, is the most adaptable of all willows. This hardy species can tolerate the driest soils along with the hottest temperatures in the lower elevations of the Eastern Sierra and is known for its very narrow leaves and spreading habit. Coyote willow is also renowned for its straight, flexible shoots which Native Americans used for baskets and other items.

Shrubby thickets like willows provide critical shelter for migrating and nesting birds. Recent interesting research by the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) in the eastern Sierra indicates that willows are the preferred locations for many nesting birds. Sacha Heath of PRBO stated that, "Of the 746 nests we found this year for riparian breeding songbirds, 41% of them were placed in willows. These are for sites in the Mono Basin, Rock Creek and at North Lake." The dense branching patterns of willows provide great nesting and resting places for our well-traveled migrating songbirds.

Several butterfly species in the Eastern Sierra lay their eggs specifically on willow shoots. The resulting hungry larvae hatch to find succulent leafy greens to devour or perhaps feed only on willow flowers. The Mourning Cloak butterfly, with its wings colored dark brown bordered by yellow, is an amazing species that actually overwinters as an adult, seeking shelter in willows and other shrubs. The Lorquin's Admiral is another common and beautiful butterfly of the eastern Sierra that depends on willows for larval food. This butterfly is described in California Butterflies, by John S. Garth and J.W. Tilden, as "a showy insect, with velvety black ground color, pure white band, and brick red wing tips."

Willows are easy to grow in moist or wet sites. If you have a creek or a ditch or a damp low spot in your yard, you could have a shrubby thicket! Since more than 95 percent of the riparian habitat in the western United States has already been destroyed or degraded, according to Robert Askins, a biologist at Connecticut College and the author of Restoring North America's Birds, every bit of added habitat can benefit migrating birds and other wildlife. Willows grow easily from 10-inch pencil-thick cuttings stuck halfway into moist, cultivated soil. Give them room to grow, stand back, and enjoy!

Above: Arroyo willow, Salix laengata, in Round Valley
Photo by Stephen Ingram