I live in NE Minnesota. From Christmas Day through 1/8/18 we have had windchill warnings every day. Real temps were from -15 to -30, windchills topped out at -39. We finally had a break in the weather this past Sunday. It was 29 degrees!!! We were all ecstatic. My husband and I took the dogs for a walk Sunday morning. We walked past a swampy area and lo and behold there were pussy willows blooming!! How is that even possible? Anyone have any ideas? We didn’t have warm weather before the deep freeze either. It’s been standard winter temps (very few days above freezing) since our first snowfall the day before Halloween.
I have a pussy willow tree (that I’ve pruned to be a tree, rather than a bush) in my yard that is now about 10-12 feet tall. Every year, it’s one of the first to bloom–usually when it’s cold and snow is still on the ground. I leave it because the bees go crazy for it (since it’s the first to provide a pollen source for them so early in the year). Even so, this is a bit early in the year for it to bloom. (I’m in south central Pennsylvania.)
Willows grow a large, deep, interlacing root structure. (That’s why they are often planted along the shores of lakes or streams – the interlacing roots reduce erosion on the banks.) This root structure can extends deep, often even below the frost line. So their roots are not frozen. Especially in marshy areas, which tend to be warmer.
So in a mild winter like this one in Minnesota, it’s quite possible that so,me of them have started blooming. After all, the days of sunlight have been getting longer for the past 3 weeks now.
My daffodils and other bulbs are already coming up. I am in So. Arkansas. I don’t think we have pussy willows here. I might want some, I will look into that.
You should have grabbed them.
You know, as proof.
I took a picture!
Mild winter!?!?! Not a lot of snow, but the temps sure haven’t been mild. Not up here anyway.
♬ Pussy Willow down fur-lined avenue… ♬
Sorry. It’s what comes into my head every time I hear ‘pussy willow’.
I’m a bit farther south than you, but not much. We’ve also had stupid cold weather since about Christmas. I’d be shocked to find anything blooming, or even see buds that are starting to swell. Not only is it way to cold, but there isn’t nearly enough daylight to trigger this.
Enjoy them, they will probably be buried under tonight’s snow.
I saw what you did there. 
Enough with the locker room talk!