bits of fluff appear along the branches of some willow shrubs, silvery gray and as soft to the touch as a kitten’s paw. They may seem furry, but these are actually the flower buds of pussy ...

No plant heralds spring quite like pussy willow. The large flower buds burst open to expose the silky, silver-gray, furry catkins early in the spring before leaf emergence and while most other ...

Had these “cones” been dangling and covered in leaf debris — like a shaggy grey ... of willow and prevent the stems from normally elongating. Feeding by the larvae causes the bud to cease ...