Willow Trees
🌳 Habitat: Riverbanks, ponds, wetlands, parks, gardens and damp woodland
📍 Found in Britain: Widespread across the UK, with many native and planted species
📏 Size: Depending on the species, willows can grow from small shrubs to trees over 20 metres tall
🍃 Season: Fresh green leaves in spring, fluffy seeds in early summer, golden leaves in autumn
🐝 Wildlife Connections: Early pollen feeds bees, leaves feed caterpillars, while birds, insects and mammals all make use of mature trees
👀 Look out for: Long, narrow leaves, deeply furrowed bark on older trees and branches that often sweep gracefully towards the ground or water
🦸 Nature Superpower: Willow roots help stabilise riverbanks and reduce erosion, protecting rivers and streams.
✨ Fun Fact: Aspirin was originally developed from salicin, a natural chemical found in willow bark that has been used as a painkiller for thousands of years.
Graceful branches, twisting bark and riverside reflections. Willow trees are full of character, whatever the season.
We've got a willow tree that we can see clearly from our living room window, and over the years it's become part of the rhythm of the seasons. In winter, when the branches are bare, it's easy to spot the birds hopping between them or squirrels scrambling up and down the trunk. Then spring arrives, the leaves appear almost overnight, and by summer the canopy is so thick that we can't see through it at all. Instead, we have to listen for birdsong and guess where the robin or blackbird is hiding.
For a few weeks each year, the tree creates another little seasonal event. It releases masses of soft white fluff that drifts across the garden, looking a bit like summer snow. It's beautiful, but it also means we know it's time to stop putting the washing out for a while! Our tree doesn't produce the familiar willow catkins, so I suspect it's a grey willow.
Some years, a colony of wasps takes up residence in a deep crevice in the trunk. The first time I noticed them, I was slightly concerned, but it turns out they generally keep themselves to themselves., and when I sent a few emails, I was told we don't need to worry about them. They're simply getting on with life in the tree, just as the birds, squirrels and countless insects do.
One of my favourite things about willows is their bark. Older trees develop deep grooves and wonderfully twisted trunks that seem full of character. They often look as though they've been shaped by centuries of wind and weather.
Little Leopard loves willow trees for completely different reasons. He likes the way they lean over rivers, with their long branches trailing towards the water, creating perfect places to imagine magical creatures hiding beneath them. He's also a big Harry Potter fan, so any mention of a Whomping Willow immediately.
Willows are one of the first trees to provide food for wildlife each spring. Species with catkins produce pollen and nectar when very little else is flowering, making them an important early food source for queen bumblebees, solitary bees and other pollinating insects emerging after winter. Their leaves feed the caterpillars of many moths and butterflies, while old trees provide nesting places for birds and shelter for all sorts of insects.
You'll often find willows growing beside rivers, ponds and streams because they thrive in damp ground. Their roots help hold riverbanks together, reducing erosion, while their spreading branches provide welcome shade over the water for fish and other wildlife.
I often find myself with a cup of tea in hand, looking out the window and watching the leaves gently swaying to and fro, checking who's using the willow today. Some days it's a squirrel. Some days it's a flock of blue tits. Every day, it's lovely.
Where we spotted it
Why not try these Oxfordshire Nature Adventures to check out the willow trees? Or head here for more inspiration
June 2026 · Nature Reserves · Free
Port Meadow
An SSSI due to its unique floodplain ecology, it's a great place to spot birds, as well as ponies and unusual plants
April 2026 · Nature Reserves · Free
Thrupp Lake
A beautiful walk from Radley Station to Abingdon, passing under the bridge, around the lake and through Barton Fields, hearing an astonishing number of birds along the way.
May 2026 · Nature Reserves · Free
Earth Trust
An epic adventure spotting newts, buzzards, kingfishers, caterpillars and so much more.
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