Pussy willow is a small tree or large shrub. As one of the earliest blooming plants in the landscape, it is an important food source for pollinators searching for early spring nectar.
After blooming, glossy green leaves remain on the multi-stemmed woody.
Pussy willow may be overlooked as an ornamental in favor of showier trees, but its value to hungry pollinators emerging in the early spring, and its status as a larval host for a broad range of butterflies and moths make it practically a “must-have” for the pollinator garden. In early spring the bright yellow blooms become a hub of activity, buzzing with frequent visits from honey bees, mason bees, mining bees, and other early pollinators who are attracted to its pollen-rich blooms.
—Xerces Society
Cut branches in late winter to force for indoor arrangements.
Larval host plant to 18 butterflies and moths including cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Io moth (Automeris Io), eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), and mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa).