Osier

Less drama today, with a quiet morning walk along my local stretch of river. Most of the 'pussy willows' that flower early in the season are now well over, but the catkins of this particular species are just approaching the peak of perfection. I think these may be the catkins of purple willow Salix purpurea, but leaves are necessary for a reliable identification.

Willows are notoriously difficult to identify, partly becasue the have a tendency to hybridise freely. The Peterborough area has a very wide range of willows, inlcuding many unusual cultivars and hybrids. Some of these have been planted for purely ornamental purposes, but others are relicts of former osier beds, which, in former times, provided the raw materials for the city's basket-making industry.

In the nineteenth century Sellers and Sons manufactured baskets in a factory in Wharf Road, Woodston, just across the river from my usual walk. The quality of their baskets was renowned and they won orders to suppoly the Post Office and many major railway companies. The advent of synthetic packaging materials made the use of baskets redundant, and the factory closed down shortly after the Second World War.

It seems such a shame that baskets are now a niche item, as they are so much more sustainable than most of the plastic based products that have replaced them!