Willow catkins 4 April 2015 On a bright and sunny morning at Duddon Bridge there were wild daffodils and catkins against a bright blue sky, alder catkins with pendent male catkins and the less familiar female flowers which I hoped to photograph. Beside the rivers of Cumbria grow alder trees. You can trace the course of the RIver Kent (when the river is hidden) if you follow the fringe of alders along its banks. And here beside the River Duddon massed purple catkins open yellow in the spring sunshine. Spring comes later at altitude, climb higher in the fells and you'll find alder catkins in tight purple bud .
In winter and in early spring alder appear purplish in hue. The tree often shows thick with tight purple catkins and new shoots also look purple. The female flowers appear at the tip of the twig, above the male catkins. Their calyx is greyish blue and their flowers are purple. Few will notice the female flowers because they're tiny and not showy. Then the male catkins open for pollination they show more yellowish. Often, you''ll see last summers cones amongst the catkins.
Willow showed yellow with catkins and small flies and bees were foraging for nectar- just visible on the centre catkin. Early butterflies flitted beside the river too. When leaf buds are closed tight, willow catkins show in a burst of gold, an aura of gold as you drive by. From childhood, I've delighted in willow catkins- the pussywillow we all love. But spending a morningr at a JK orienteering event, not orienteering but studying catkins with a camera, I see them as never before. Caught in the act of bursting into flower. Reproduction: catkins opening up and seeking pollinators. Male and female catkins on separate trees. In M&S they're selling bunches of silver-grey catkins but my pictures tell what it's all about and it's reproduction.
Impossible to choose a favourite flower, but in the freshness of spring it's a theme to contemplate.
In taking these images I wanted to use a blue sky to highlight those wonderful alder catkins. Beneath the trees, the spring flowers burst forth seeking the light whilst the canopy is open. I hoped to catch the translucence of delicate windflower petals. The petals of lesser celandine are glossy, the flower is a sunburst and reflects the light.
In taking these images I wanted to use a blue sky to highlight those wonderful alder catkins. Beneath the trees, the spring flowers burst forth seeking the light whilst the canopy is open. I hoped to catch the translucence of delicate windflower petals. The petals of lesser celandine are glossy, the flower is a sunburst and reflects the light.
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