The Golden Willow

The Golden Willow, or the Salix alba "Vitellina", is a large leafy tree that is rich yellow or orange in color. However, the undersides of the long ovular shaped leaves are white, resulting in the tree being called the White Willow as well as the Golden Willow. Native to Europe and Western Asia, this medium sized deciduous tree grows anywhere from thirteen feet to sixty feet tall. The Golden Willow reproduces through catkins, and are pollinated by insects. The catkins ppear during spring and look like tiny brown pine cones. These trees produce thousands of male and female catkins in a process similar to masting. They do this because, even though the willows are fast-growing, they don't live very long due to being susceptible to several different types of diseases. Bacteria thrive on the bark and leaves because the tree grows near water and emits heat. These relationships are an example of the symbiotic relationship parasitism because the tree is being killed while the bacteria are thriving.
These spindly trees thrive near water, and need large amounts of sun. However, although it needs large quantities of sunlight, the Golden Willow must have wet soil in order to survive. Also, the soil must be extremely rich in nutrients in order for them to grow as largely as they do. The willows in my observation site receive fertilizer from the town of Jackson, so I expect them to grow quickly. As all animals need water to survive, many animals prey upon the defenseless tree. We are lucky to have the Golden Willow around as its niche is to provide cover to many wildlife species, as well as producing food for game and song birds. Moose eat the branches ferociously in the winter time as they are easy to get to and full of nutrients. Many different species of birds eat the catkins that it produces in the spring time. Because it provides so much for other organisms in its ecosystem, it plays an important part in the food chain. Even though the willow produces all of this food to help other organisms survive, it destroys smaller grasses, and their niches, along side it. Because it guzzles up so much water, the plants with smaller root systems around can not receive enough water to survive.