Catkins

Wildflowers aren't just about pretty petals. Some flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, but have their own aesthetic in the way they're arranged. Catkins are long slender inflorescenses that comprise many tiny unisexual flowers, and are found on shrubs and trees such as willow (Salix sp. - above) and alder (Alnus sp. - below). The word apparently comes from a dutch word meaning kitten - think pussywillow. Like many trees, willow and alder begin to bloom before the trees have even leafed out.

I'm not sure of the species here - once the leaves have fully emerged, hopefully I'll be able to ID them for sure. But chances are the willow is Salix hookeriana (dune or coastal willow). The alder is either Alnus rubra or (red alder) Alnus rhombifolia (white alder). In alders, the female, or seed bearing, catkins look like little cones.

Catkins aren't restricted to one family of plants. Alders are in the birch family (Betulaceae), and the willows in are in their own family (Salicaceae) along with poplar, cottonwood and aspen. Other tree and shrub families, and a few forbs (like stinging nettle) bear catkins.

The alder catkins were photographed amongst redwoods, in the Albion River watershed on March 22, and the willow at Spring Ranch in Mendocino on March 29.

PS: This is why they call red alder red alder...

It's been a very rainy March, and there's been no shortage of slides and trees across the roads.