How Pussy Willows Got Their Name

Many springtimes ago, according to an old Polish legend, tiny kittens were chasing butterflies along the edge of the river and fell in. The mother cat, helpless to save them, started crying. The willows at the river’s edge swept their long, graceful branches into the water towards the kittens. The kittens gripped the branches tightly and were rescued.

Each springtime since, goes the legend, willow branches sprout tiny fur-like buds where the tiny kittens once clung.