Pussy willow (Salix discolor)

Plotwright

Home

›

Catalog

›

Pussy willow

Habit (mature) · Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Limited coverage

Pussy willow

Salix discolor

A native deciduous willow of northern North America famous for the silky, silvery catkins — the "pussies" — that swell on bare stems in late winter, often while snow is still on the ground. Usually grown as a large multi-stemmed shrub 6-15 feet tall, it thrives in moist to wet soils and tolerates drier ground better than most willows. Dioecious (separate male and female plants), it is one of the earliest pollen and nectar sources of the year and a documented host for a wide range of native bees and Lepidoptera.

Native: 27 US states + 11 CA provinces

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: broad (70/100)

Structure

Focal point

Pollinator

Light

Full sun / Part sun / Part shade

Water

Consistent moisture

Mature size

72-180" tall · 96" apart

Hardy in zones

4a-8b

very cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Warm

cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

Yes

Sponsored

Watering and irrigation

Watering cans, soaker hoses, drip kits, moisture meters, and timers.

Search watering and irrigation on Amazon →

Wildlife protection

Bird netting, deer fencing, rabbit guards, trunk guards, and crop covers.

Search wildlife protection on Amazon →

Transplanting and establishment

Trowels, transplant spades, starter fertilizer, root stimulators, and watering bags.

Search transplanting and establishment on Amazon →

Container growing

Grow bags, planters, potting mix, saucers, casters, and container irrigation.

Search container growing on Amazon →

Drainage and aeration

Perlite, pumice, raised-bed mix, aerators, and drainage-focused containers.

Search drainage and aeration on Amazon →

Pruning and deadheading

Pruners, snips, loppers, pruning saws, sharpening tools, and cut-flower shears.

Search pruning and deadheading on Amazon →

Plotwright may earn a commission from purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.

A documented larval host for the Cecropia moth and 5 other species — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

›

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

›

Arizona Mountains forests

›

Blue Mountains forests

›

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

›

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

›

Central Tallgrass prairie

›

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

›

Colorado Rockies forests

›

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

›

Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

Dioecious — pussy willow has separate male and female plants, with yellowish male catkins and greenish female catkins on different shrubs (the specific epithet discolor refers to the two catkin colors, per Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder). The familiar silvery "pussies" are the catkins before they open. Because the catkins appear very early — often before the leaves and while snow is still on the ground — pussy willow is among the first pollen and nectar sources of the year for emerging bees and other early pollinators. Both male and female plants flower; only female plants set the small seed capsules.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Io moth (Automeris io)

Salix (willow) is a documented Io moth host per UF/IFAS; pussy willow is Salix discolor (genus-level inference).

Larval host

Butterfly

Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Larval host

Butterfly

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Larval host

Moth

Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia)

Larval host

Moth

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Larval host

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Willows (Salix) are a documented larval host for the eastern tiger swallowtail among the many Lepidoptera that use the genus.

Pollen forage

Bee

Mining bees (Andrena spp.)

Pollen forage

Bee

European honeybee (Apis mellifera)

The very early catkins (March-April, often before leaf-out) are an important first pollen and nectar source for honey bees and other early-foraging bees as colonies build up in late winter.

Pollen forage

Bee

Common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)

Early-emerging bumble bee queens rely on the earliest-blooming plants; pussy willow catkins open while little else is in flower, providing critical early-season pollen and nectar.

Pollen forage

Bee

Stem-nesting native bees (multiple genera (Ceratina, Hylaeus, Osmia, etc.))

Willows (Salix) are documented hosts for a suite of pollen-specialist native bees that emerge in early spring to coincide with willow bloom; pussy willow is one of the earliest available sources.

Seed forage

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species) (multiple species (Passeriformes))

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records pussy willow as an early-season harvest for songbirds, waterfowl, and small mammals.

Foliage forage

Mammal

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Shelter / habitat

Bird

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

For people

Not eaten by humans

Grown for ornament, early-season pollinator value, erosion control, and its showy cut and dried catkin stems — not as a food crop. Like other willows the bark contains salicin (the historical basis of aspirin) and is not eaten as food.