Willow trees

At Cabragh Wetlands the mallard parents are doing their very best to keep their ducklings alive, but inevitably some predator has taken a few of the brood. The yellow flag iris is flowering, lilies are developing on the surface of the pond, tadpoles are getting ever-closer to maturity, and the welcome recent rain means that our walkways are in need of regular mowing to keep them open. Perhaps surprisingly the birds are getting quieter, but you can put this down to parental exhaustion after weeks of nest-building, egg-sitting and chick-feeding.

A stroll around those walkways will bring you to the small river from Killough Hill which feeds into Cabragh the pure water which has done so much to sustain the exceptional biodiversity of the wetland habitat. There are about 400 known species of willow, with more expected to be identified when the botanists manage to do systematic research in western China. Willows are widespread in the northern hemisphere, but very rare in the south (like oaks). Each region has developed its own subspecies, as populations of trees have evolved in relative isolation, and even for the experts identification is a real challenge. Nearly all willows have male and female as separate plants; they produce catkins and rely on the wind or insects for pollination. Seeds are tufted and float on the wind.

Few plants have been as widely used by man. Osiers (the thin twigs) have of course long been grown in wetland areas and used for basket-weaving, but also for boats like the coracle and for hurdles and walls, while larger timbers have been used in the building industry. Today it has great potential as a fuel, with many seeing it as an invaluable biomass to supply energy without worsening the problem of global warming. Willow bark also has traditional medical value; it is rich in salicin, which is the core molecule of salicylic acid, from which aspirin was developed. So from willow a painkiller and anti-inflammatory was developed, and is used today (but don’t take it without appropriate expert advice!) to reduce the risk of blood clotting and thrombosis.

With so many plants out there waiting to be researched, who knows what benefits have yet to be unearthed? All species matter.