A big thank you goes out to the 23 community members who came out to celebrate Earth Day with us at MLK Park on April 24!  The Green Thumbs volunteers replanted three native Arroyo Willows that were mistakenly mowed down, and weeded under the canopy of the young trees planted in 2019 so that the summer’s precious irrigation water would go to the trees and not the weeds. We ended up filling 15 very large paper bags with weeds, returning over 12 tennis balls to the dog park, and finishing up with brown bag picnic lunch under the large willows. A great half-day’s work and fun!

Willows are special to our community, not only do these native plants grow very well here but they host many insects, making them excellent habitat for insect-eating songbirds. Native Americans had many uses for this flexible plant. The inner bark was made into rope, the shoots used for baskets, and stakes provided structure for thatched houses. An infusion of willow bark or flowers was used to cure a variety of ailments from fevers to itchiness to diarrhea.

Did you know that willows  inspired the development of aspirin? The pain-relieving properties of willows have been recognized since before the Greeks. The pure form of the active ingredient, salicylic acid, causes severe stomach pains, but in 1915 the Bayer Company in Germany developed a compound of salicylic acid that did not upset the stomach.

Consider joining us for future Green Thumbs events around our beautiful city!