A willowy welcome to spring Apr 7, 2021

With winter officially over, we"re weeping for joy right alongside this willow tree, its wispy new boughs signaling a healthy year of growth to come. About 400 species of willow grow across the globe in water-rich, seasonally chilly spots like here in Minnesota. With some willows soaring up to 70 feet tall and wide, cultures around the world have bestowed deep symbolism on the formidable trees, associating them with refuge, wisdom, or plenty—if not with ghosts, demons, or the spirit world. One thing all traditions can agree on: When a willow sprouts bright green wisps like this, it"s a welcome symbol of spring"s arrival.

© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Apr 7, 2018The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
Apr 7, 2019Busy building wetlands
Apr 7, 2020Once in a pink moon
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain
Apr 7, 2023International Beaver Day
Apr 7, 2024International Beaver Day
Apr 7, 2025Happy International Beaver Day!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 1, 2019The National Museum of the American Indian
Nov 26, 2019Staring down winter
Dec 18, 2019It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!
Nov 5, 2021Pont Rouge
Sep 14, 2021Behold the mighty Aldeyjarfoss
Apr 1, 2021Why do elephants hide in trees?
Feb 9, 2021What s going on in this sky?
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose in Denali National Park, Alaska
Aug 25, 2021Happy anniversary to the National Park Service!
Aug 9, 2023International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Mar 16, 2023Panda Day
Jul 28, 2021A goldie gala
Feb 22, 2018Roman theater of Cartagena, Spain
Aug 23, 2023Skógafoss waterfall, Iceland
May 11, 2022Santorini, Greece
Apr 10, 2023Siblings Day
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Jun 11, 2021An island in the Highlands
Jan 9, 2019What, no escalator?
Jun 26, 2025Horse Head Rock, New South Wales, Australia
Nov 7, 2023Kirkilai lakes, Biržai Regional Park, Lithuania
Sep 19, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Oct 5, 2024World Teachers Day
Dec 10, 2020What does the fox dream?
Nov 11, 2025Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia
Oct 1, 2023Lake Bled, Slovenia
Sep 24, 2020Till the cows come home
Dec 16, 2022Atlanta Botanical Garden
Mar 21, 2025Happy International Day of Forests!
Jun 27, 2019The roots of invention