 moose elk and other large animals like to eat them and they're used to make everything from beaver dams to wilker baskets, pain reliever and cricket bats. What are we talking about? Well willows of course. Willows are treason shrubs that are found in wet or moist locations in Wyoming. The scientific name of willow that's salix comes from two Celtic words meaning near water. Depending on who you listen to there are somewhere between 35 and 40 species of willow in Wyoming. Willows are found at practically all elevations. Down low willow shrubs and trees grow along the streams and rivers. Higher up tree form willows are less common. Shrub forms are more abundant. At the very highest elevations in Wyoming willows are still found even though they may be very small. Willows are important for a number of reasons. They provide food and habitat for a wide variety of insects, birds, fish and mammals. In addition their root systems are believed to help strengthen stream banks so they don't wash away in times of high flow. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service I'm Eric Peterson