These branches will be different to the previous ones, as they will not be visibly connected to the trunk. Instead, they will poke out from the leafy canopy of the willow tree.
Willow, white (Salix alba)
Silvery leaved, waterside and fenland dweller. White willow feeds and shelters native wildlife and has been a source of natural remedies for centuries.
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The white willow is the largest of the willow species.
Credit: BIOSPHOTO / Alamy Stock Photo
Its leaves are slim and oval.
Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML
White willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees.
Credit: Florapix / WTML
Its twigs are slender, flexible and grey-brown in colour.
Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML
Mature white willows can reach up to 25m in height.
Credit: Andrew Kearton / Alamy Stock Photo
Its bark is grey-brown, developing deep fissures over time.
Credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / WTML
These trees often have an irregular, leaning crown.
Credit: Nigel Bean / naturepl.com
Quick facts
Common name: white willow
Scientific name: Salix alba
Family: Salicaceae
Origin: non-native
The white willow is the largest species of willow, with mature trees growing up to 25m. They often have an irregular, leaning crown. The bark is grey-brown and develops deep fissures with age, and twigs are slender, flexible and grey-brown.
Look out for: the leaves which are hairy all over at first then, as they age, remain downy underneath and sparsely hairy on the top.
Identified in winter by: green to yellow-brown, hairy, narrow buds which are pressed close to the twig.
What does white willow look like?
Credit: WILDLIFE GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
Leaves
The slender, oval leaves are paler than most other willows due to a felty covering of fine, silky, silvery-white hairs on the underside.
Credit: Florapix / WTML
Flowers
White willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Catkins appear in early spring – male catkins are 4–5 cm long and female catkins 3–4 cm long.
Credit: Frank Hecker / Alamy Stock Photo
Fruits
After pollination by insects, the female catkins lengthen and develop small capsules, each containing minute seeds encased in white down which aids dispersal by wind.
Not to be confused with:
Other willow species which all freely hybridise.
Willow, crack
Willow, grey
Willow, goat
Willow, osier
Trees woods and wildlife
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Where to find white willow
Like most willows, the white willow is found growing in wet ground such as river and stream sides.
Their branches are good nesting sites for birds.
Credit: Andrew Kearton / Alamy Stock Photo
How to Draw A Willow Tree – Let’s Get Started!
When it comes to drawing a willow tree, there are two main components. These would comprise the trunk and the leafy canopy, and we will start with the first of these.
The leafy canopy of a willow tree is probably its most recognizable feature, and it will thus be a big feature of this drawing. That being said, it’s still important to portray the trunk and branches properly.
The trunk and branches are more complex than they appear, as they are a bit twisty and intricate.
For now, we will make it easier by simplifying the steps of drawing this trunk and its attached branches.
To do this, we will be drawing just one line to begin the outline. Before you draw this outline, you can use a pencil to draw a rough version of the willow tree.
This can seem like an unnecessary step, but it will help you to maintain the correct proportions for the drawing. It will also help you to visualize the trunk, leaves and how they all relate to one another.
With that in mind, we can draw the first line. We will be drawing the line on the left-hand side of the trunk, as shown in our reference image.
It will be a rather sharply curved line that bends inward. You should also avoid making the line too smooth, as we want to make it look like it has a bark texture.
Then, we will be ready to move on to step 2!
Step 2: Draw the next part of the tree trunk
In the first step of the guide, we drew the first part of the trunk for this willow tree drawing. That first line was simple, but this is where it starts to get trickier.
The trunk of a willow tree is pretty distinctive in and of itself, and it has a thin body with some twisty branches.
It’s got a rather mangled look beneath the leaves, and we will try to replicate this in the drawing.
First, we will draw the line on the right-hand side of the trunk. As you will see in the reference image, this should somewhat mirror the line on the left side that you previously drew.
You will also see that there should be a large base for the trunk, as we will add some roots there later. For now, the line on the right should head up and then curve out to the right.
Then, we will add two diagonal lines to the left of this that form a V shape. To finish off this step, we will use some more curved lines to create a larger V shape at the center of the top of the trunk.
There will be some small lines poking off i various places, and these will come into play later on in the guide.
For now, we will be ready for the third step of the guide, so let’s head there when you’re ready.
Step 3: Add the outline of the leafy canopy
We will come back to the trunk later on in the guide, but for now, we will leave it and focus on the leafy canopy.
For this step of your willow tree drawing, we will focus on drawing the outline of the canopy.
This canopy will begin and end around the center point of the trunk, and the base of this outline will look quite a bit different from the top.
You will see that the top of the canopy is somewhat flatter, but it will still be drawn with a bumpy line.
The lower portion of the canopy, on the other hand, will have lots of small, thin sections hanging down. These will still be drawn with a similarly bumpy line to the top of the canopy.
Drawing these portions like this will create the look of the leaves hanging down like they would on a real willow tree. The sides of the willow tree canopy should extend quite far outward.
A willow tree looks a bit like an umbrella with the top fanning out, and we will show this in our reference image. It may look a bit weird as it is now, but we will still be adding some more branches as we head forward.
For now, if your drawing is matching the reference image, then you’re in a good spot! Next, let’s head to the next step and add some more details that will make this willow tree look even better.
