Black willows with another color

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In contrast to the paloverde whose new growth is green, the black willow tree, Salix nigra, puts out slender young branches, and often many of them, that are orange or reddish-orange. I’m afraid I don’t know what kind of animal made the prominent nest.

I photographed this network of old and new black willow branches at the edge of a pond in far northwest Austin on February 27th.