Goat willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. In early spring, before the leaves burst, the catkins develop. The male catkins begin silvery white, stout and oval [see today’s photograph], becoming golden yellow when ripe with pollen. The female catkins are green and narrower, with flask-shaped ovaries. Both catkins tend to be erect rather than hanging down. The flowers are predominantly insect-pollinated, but wind-pollination also occurs.
