In early spring the round, soft, transparent, tender green clouds of willows arise along lakes and riverbanks. Their perfect reflections always remind me of a kaleidoscope. The willow ecosystem is...
In early spring the round, soft, transparent, tender green clouds of willows arise along lakes and riverbanks. Their perfect reflections always remind me of a kaleidoscope. The willow ecosystem is vast, and she provides a home for all creatures–grouse, frogs, turtles, dragonflies, waterlilies, moose, rabbits, and people. Willow is deeply woven into our humanity. She is flexible, durable, and healing. We’ve built everything from her, for tens of thousands of years, even using her hormones to make other plants grow. Her powerful abilities enlightened us about life. We need to understand that our fellow willow-creatures are part of us, and share this history with us. We need to treat them as equals.