Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CXCVI · Topic 28: Tree study
196. The willows
Goal: Your child forces willow twigs into bloom indoors and can tell pollen catkins from seed catkins.
You'll need
- Willow twigs with fat buds (March)
- A jar of water by a sunny window
- A hand lens (magnifying glass)
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
The lesson has a leading thought, a method of forcing twigs in March, and twelve observations: the tree, the buds, the two kinds of "pussies," how bees carry the pollen, the seeds, the leaves and roots, the uses of willow, the willow "cones" and the viceroy caterpillar's winter cradle.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Early March. Cut a few twigs from as many kinds of willows as you can find (ask the owner), along streams and wet ground. Stand them in a jar of water in a warm, sunny window.
The leading thought
The willows have their pollen-bearing flowers and their seed-bearing flowers on separate trees; the bees carry the pollen from one to the other.
Watch the pussies
Study the pussies on your twigs and see if they are all alike. Is one kind more soft and furry than the other? Are they of different colors?
After a few days, what color is the pussy? Why does it change from silver color to yellow?
The seed catkins
Take one of the pussies which is not so furry. Can you see the little pistils with the Y-shaped stigmas set in it?
Listen to the willows
When the willows outdoors are in full bloom, go and stand near one on a warm day.
For this answer, visit the willows when the pussies are all in bloom and listen. Tell what you hear. What insects do you see working on the willow blossoms? What are they after?
Watch the bees from a few steps back.
Willow cones and cradles
Do you find willow cones on your willows? Cut one of these cones through and see if you can find any seeds? What is in the middle of it?
An adult does the cutting. The book also suggests hunting in winter for leaves rolled into tiny cradles by young viceroy caterpillars.
Nature notebook
Draw a silver pussy, a yellow pollen catkin and a green seed catkin. Write the date each one appeared in your jar.
Answers to the book's problems
The pussies turn yellow when the stamens push out and open their pollen. Bees humming in the willows carry pollen to the seed catkins on other trees. A "willow cone" is a gall made by a tiny fly (a gall midge); its larva lives in the middle, not seeds. Willow bark gave people salicin, a fever and pain medicine that led to aspirin.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.