Beginning to leaf out in early April, a Sitka Willow (Salix sitchensis) disperses immense quantities of yellow pollen from its catkin florets. Thriving in gravel bar cobblestone, willows form dense thickets along the Middle Fork Willamette, and in doing so, help stabilize river structures and create valuable habitat. Willamette National Forest, Oregon West Cascades.
Middle Fork Willamette River, Oakridge Oregon, Willamette National Forest, Willow