Willows

The willows here are sensitive markers of spring. I see the brush of green on the weeping willows first and later the emergence on the black willow down by Muddy Creek and finally, much later, the black willow in our backyard at the Homestead.

I have photographed them every spring for years as a way of attending the emergence of new life. It is a good Easter practice. This year, the weeping willows by the old, failed pond, in the upper yard of 151, have been drawing me. The opening photo above is of those willows taken from near the house.

This spring I’ve been particularly taken by this view angle on the trees. I don’t think I’ve shot from this angle before and this year I keep returning to it. This photo was taken April 1. I like the way the trees form a watchful gateway over the bed of the pond. The branches on the inside of each tree, arch toward the branches of the other tree, forming a shared green space between them. It is impossible to distinguish which tree’s green we are looking at.

I also love, in first emergence, the way the structure of the tree remains visible, even as the tree is greening.

This image was taken yesterday, just five days later, but you can see how it is already filling in. You can also see that the color has shifted. The tree now has that wonderful yellowish-green that is so recognizable as spring emergence.

The flowers are adding their yellow to the color palette of the spring willows. At this moment the flowers are tipping the color.

My path to 151 in the morning now includes a swing by the willow altar at the top of the yard. My commute has gotten longer while my heart has gotten lighter.

Love and Peace, Glenn