Thursday, May 30, 2013

Flowering Pines

While out walking early one morning, I noticed that the pine trees were blooming.  Yes, you heard me right.  What I saw was not some vine winding it's showy way along the branches but rather tiny pinky-red buttons decorating the tips of the boughs.

The blossoms are about the size and color of a new pencil erasure.  These were found at the tip of the bright green new growth with the pollen tendrils below the needle cluster.  Once fertilized, it can take up to three years for the pine cone to develop and mature although most trees take less than six months.

To read more: http://bigpicturescience.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/a-pine-cone-tale/


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