Curvy Willow Catkins

I took this photo of willow catkins just two years ago high in the Wasatch Mountains because I liked the curvy catkins and the simplicity of the image.

Close up of Willow catkins – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

I’m not certain which willow species this image depicts, and I have no problem admitting that. I believe it may be a native species, but I could be mistaken. Being honest rather than claiming expertise on a species that I cannot confidently identify, whether in the field or with more resources available at home, is what I prefer and do.

I am not an expert on everything I observe or encounter in nature, and I find that I need to acknowledge that. To claim otherwise, I believe, would be deceptive, if not dishonest. Although I know birds better than anything else in nature, I still don’t consider myself an “expert” on them and don’t claim to be. I leave myself plenty of room to learn and grow. Nature teaches me something new all the time.

Back to the willow catkins…

I am a tactile person and I desperately wanted to touch these fuzzy catkins. If I had touched them I might have even had a part in their pollination. I couldn’t touch them because the willows were in a creek and walking in the water simply wasn’t in my cards that day. The thought of touching them still arises each time I view this photo. Maybe I will get to touch willow catkins on another date and time.

What I also liked about this willow catkin image is how almost all of the catkins curved in the opposite direction than the catkins above or below them. The catkin that points towards the right side of this photo caught my eye. I liked that it took a different direction.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrubs and tree photos.