There is a willow grows aslant a brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream
~ Shakespeare, Hamlet
The path under our feet was springy with the litter of fluff-ball catkins blown from the branches above.
The leaves are shaped like cats’ paws, glossy on the recto, gentle silver hairs on the verso.
Aspirin bark is cleft with character, shimmering on the surface, lichen in the crevices.
The pussy willow, common sallow, broadleaf grey willow, is native to Britain.