willow

Tall cottonwood trees and willows enveloped the riverbanks in cool shade and swallows soared among the branches.

Also, a graceful arroyo willow that sprouted near Margaret’s one-time vegetable garden now towers over the family’s home, attracting so many bees with its spring blooms that the branches seem to hum.

Tree varieties include Eureka lemon, pink guava, Golden Delicious apple, coast live oak, olive, crape myrtle, California sycamore, desert willow and torrey pines.

They made their way down from the San Bernardino Mountains to sunny Palm Desert, where they found temporary homes in enclosures shaded by desert willows and fan palms.

“How their history connects with the willows on our farm and the history of Indigenous people here. And then how to treat the Earth with respect.”