According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.
Where are you?
Shining willow is distributed from Alaska east to Labrador and south to California, Kansas, and North Carolina. It is mostly absent from dry interior regions of the Intermountain West.
This plant is present in at least 48 states/provinces in this country.
Shining willow is a deciduous small tree or tall shrub, occasionally growing up to 40 feet (12 m) tall. It typically has several stems, becoming increasingly shrubby with increasing elevation. The bark is smooth and thin, and the bole and branches are brittle. Twigs are relatively stout. It has lanceolate leaves that are 2 to 5 inches (5-13 cm) long. Shining willow is dioecious, so individual trees bear either pistillate or staminate catkins. The fruit is a hairless capsule, but the seed coat is covered with soft, cottony hairs. The typical variety differs from tail-leaf willow by having glaucous undersides to the leaves.
Shining willow flowers from late March to late June across its range; leaves appear with the catkins. Seeds disperse in late spring to early summer, depending on elevation and latitude. The dispersal period is usually for ≤1 month.
Acer saccharinum (aka: Silver maple, Soft maple)
Aronia arbutifolia (aka: Red chokeberry)
Salix discolor (aka: Pussy willow, American pussy willow, Glaucous willow, Large pussy willow)
Pyrus communis (aka: European pear, Common pear)
Acer negundo (aka: Boxelder, Western boxelder, Arizona boxelder, California boxelder, Texas boxelder, Interior boxelder, Violet boxelder)
Salix nigra (aka: Black willow, Swamp willow, Southwestern black willow, Gulf black willow, Scythe-leaved willow)
Populus tremuloides (aka: Quaking aspen, Trembling aspen, Aspen, American aspen, Mountain aspen, Golden aspen, Trembling poplar, White poplar, Popple, Alamo Blanco)
Salix lucida (aka: Shining willow, Greenleaf willow, Tail-leaf willow, Whiplash willow, Pacific willow, Lance-leaf willow, Longleaf willow, Red willow, Western shining willow)
Vaccinium angustifolium (aka: Lowbush blueberry, Early low-bush blueberry, Low sweet blueberry)
Prunus cerasus (aka: Sour cherry, Tart cherry, Dwarf cherry, Montmorency cherry)
Prunus pumila (aka: Sandcherry, Western sandcherry, Eastern sandcherry, Great Lakes sandcherry)
Salix bebbiana (aka: Bebb willow, Beak willow, Beaked willow, Long-beaked willow, Diamond willow, Chaton, Petit Minou, Smooth Bebb willow)
Ulmus americana (aka: American elm, White elm, Water elm, Soft elm, Florida elm)
Prunus americana (aka: American plum, Goose plum, River plum, Wild plum)
Malus domestica (aka: Pyrus pumila, Malus pumila, Apple)
Acer platanoides (aka: Norway maple)
Acer saccharum (aka: Sugar maple, Rock maple, Hard maple)
