Intro to The Willow
Hi! Welcome to the first ever blog of The Willow! My name is Ariel and I will be doing weekly blogs this fall for UIC Radio. I am honored to be a part of this organization and share my thoughts with everyone. Throughout the semester, I'll be going over a variety of topics and whatever interests me during the week.
I'd thought it'd be appropriate to dive into the origins of my blog name. I chose to name it after my favorite type of tree: the Willow.
If I asked you to picture a Willow tree, you would most likely imagine a very tall tree with long hanging branches that have thin green leaves. That would be a correct depiction, but there is actually more than one type of Willow! Willows classify under the genus Salix which contains around 350 species. These species have varied traits with their foliage and height. For example, the Dappled Willow (Salix integra) is short with pink and white foliage. Willow trees are often found in areas with consistent moisture and near bodies of water like a pond or stream. There are certain species, however, like the Prairie Willow (Salix humilis) that are more drought tolerant. The longevity of Willow trees ranges from 20-60 years depending on the species and its growing conditions. Willow trees can grow 3-8 feet per year if conditions are ideal.
My favorite Willow tree species is the Weeping Willow or Salix babylonica. During my childhood, my family would take a trip to Michigan every year either during the fall or summer and rent a cabin out in the countryside for a week. At this cabin site, there were plenty of beautiful Weeping Willow trees near the site's pond, horse barn, and cabins. The Willow trees always felt like the life source of this location. They always welcomed us after a two-hour trip from Chicago to Michigan, and waved goodbye as we parted from our temporary paradise.
My cousins and I would often push each other on the wooden swings underneath the Willow trees; sometimes we would even reach high enough to grab a branch and its leaves. If it was windy, the trees' collection of leaves would rustle as if they were speaking to us. Sometimes a branch would sway towards us like it wanted to hold hands. Although the trees looked the same every time we visited, they were changing just like my family and I was.
For me, the Willow tree is a representation of life. We are the trunk and the branches are our life experiences. Some branches may get hidden while some interweave with others. Certain Willow trees may have a thick foliage, while other Willows are at the start of their growth. I hope this blog can be a part of my Willow tree and maybe a part of yours.
Thanks for reading and see you next week :)
-Ariel
Willow Tree sources:
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