Hazel Catkins against a Gray February Sky

Hazel flowers in late winter, weeks before its leaves appear, so nothing gets in the way of the wind that carries its pollen. The dangling yellow catkins are the male flowers. The females are the tiny red tufts on the bare twigs. Each one that catches pollen can become a hazelnut by fall. Both are out together here against a flat gray February sky. For many people this is the first sign that spring is on its way, caught in a hazel catkin jigsaw puzzle of pale yellow and gray.