A Forest Sounds Like a Ship at Sea:
Weep of the Willow
Day 23: Remote Residency at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Ireland, 7/18/22 to 8/13/22, Maria Driscoll McMahon checking in from New York State
My love for the Willow Tree precedes my current obsession with trees in general. I lived on a property with ponds surrounded by Weeping Willow trees which, not only provided beauty and shade, but sheltered various species of birds; a pair of baltimore orioles nested in the tree year after year. Cedar waxwings, little green herons, great blue herons, yellow warblers and more would visit or wade in the pond beneath the willow's branches. I painted Escape more than thirty years ago inspired by the trees.
The willow tree is easy to anthropomorphise. Its leaves blow in the breeze like long hair. It droops over ponds - its limbs even dip into water like tears. Weeping Willows "weep" after all!
It is no wonder the Ancient Irish found the willow tree to be enchanted. It is associated with the feminine, the moon, and is known as the Tree of Immortality.
Being near willow trees is said to inspire visionary streams of consciousness and is why poets and priests of Ancient Ireland would love to sit in their presence. It was also a tree favored by ancient healers - a predilection not without scientific basis - as there is a substance in the tree that is similar to aspirin.
Willow trees were frequently planted on grave sites because they were thought to absorb the spirit of the departed. Their deep roots enable the expression of deep emotions which is a sublimation of the pain.
The willow tree is easy to anthropomorphise. Its leaves blow in the breeze like long hair. It droops over ponds - its limbs even dip into water like tears. Weeping Willows "weep" after all!
It is no wonder the Ancient Irish found the willow tree to be enchanted. It is associated with the feminine, the moon, and is known as the Tree of Immortality.
Being near willow trees is said to inspire visionary streams of consciousness and is why poets and priests of Ancient Ireland would love to sit in their presence. It was also a tree favored by ancient healers - a predilection not without scientific basis - as there is a substance in the tree that is similar to aspirin.
Willow trees were frequently planted on grave sites because they were thought to absorb the spirit of the departed. Their deep roots enable the expression of deep emotions which is a sublimation of the pain.
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| Willow catskins by Margaret Manning, Skibbereen-based artist. The male and female catkins are produced on separate trees Many thanks to Margaret Manning for the photograph she took of the Willow catkin as it grows in Ireland. See the Post from FRIDAY, 5 - Day 18 - Irish trees in Ireland! devoted entirely to Margaret's photography and poetry. |
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| "Wispering Willow Tree Boston Public Garden" by Captain Kimo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. |
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| A neighbor Willow tree! |
There are many different species of willow tree: the Weeping Willow is the one most familiar to me. The Weeping Willow grows up to 40 feet tall and it grows fast. What it lacks in height, it gains in proportion as the tree is frequently as tall as it is wide. It prefers wetter, acidic soil as the tree acts as a sponge. Its root system can spread out far and wide so it is not advised to plant them close to houses or septic systems. Rabbits, deer, beavers will graze on the trees - although some claim the trees are "deer resistant."
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