Black Willow

I've found the most amazing site and, guess what, it's from an elementary school! Stratford Landing Elementary School in Fairfax County, to be precise. Kudos to the teacher who came up with this gem. It's a detailed site on the ecology of northern Virginia. I went there looking for information on black willows. I've bought a black willow to plant in my stream bank in memory of my father, who passed away last month. Black willow is a native tree of Pennsylvania, my father's home state. It does not droop like the weeping willow, which is not native to this area. It can grow to be 100 feet tall. It seems a fitting tree to plant for Dad. My willowy father.

Anyway, you can find out anything you want to know about the ecology of northern VA on this site. Much of that information is transferable to much of the Mid-Atlantic region. Big Brown Bats, Black Rat Snakes, Rabid Wolf Spiders, True Katydids and, a favorite of mine, Pink Lady's Slipper. God, I love nature! Why did I have to be born with the mind of a scientist, the heart of a poet and the mouth of a sailor?

P. S. I "spoke" with Brendan on the phone tonight. His father said he was very interested in the phone. He gurgles, "Hello."