Goat Willow - Salix Caprea

This Goat Willow tree, the latin name for which is Salix Caprea was one I found near to the entrance of Longford Park. The weather is just approaching spring and as you can see the images portray the tree as quite lifeless, in the summer it should be expected to be a bold, rather explosive, vision of green. It should also be noted that the Goat Willow is often called 'Pussy Willow' due to the silky grey buds' resemblance to cats' paws. This particular Goat Willow appears to be female as it has produced silky haired seeds, throughout the summer it should be a lot greener. Male catkins on the other hand become bright yellow when they open.
Information from Collins Complete Guide to British Trees