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Tag Archives: pine cones

Ancient Ones

We traveled to the White Mountains where we camped at 8500′ with the most impossibly blue skies imaginable. Our main goal in the White Mountains was to see the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest where there are trees more than 4000 years old! These pines grow out of rock, ground up white rock of the White Mountains. The key ingredient seems to be Dolomite. We wondered, if we were able to grow a seedling, could we grow the tree in our own yards? Probably not, is my guess but it might be worth a try. Many of the trees had exposed wood, without bark and yet they were still alive. I was fascinated by the beautiful wood grain. These trees are growing at 12,000′ in a very stark landscape.

A Woodsy Walk

Luna and I had a nice walk in the woods this afternoon. She wears a brace on her leg to protect her injured Achilles tendon. In a dog, it has a different name but it’s easier to think of it that way. She klunks when she walks with it so we have nicknamed her, Klunker.

Fallen larch needles cushioned the trails. Some snow lingered but most of it is gone with the extreme warm temperatures recently. We often expect to be skiing on these trails by now.

Luna still enjoys walks in the woods and smelling all the smells. I like to see all the small scenes in the woods and the scent of the pine trees.

Emerging from the Snow

These are the remains of winter on our hillside.

 

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The anemone-like leaves of the bitterroot. It won’t bloom for months and by then the leaves will have disappeared.

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Lichen on a piece of thin bark

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A tiny buckwheat next to an immense ponderosa pine cone

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More lichen. They are bright and fresh this time of year.

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Maybe from a woodpecker

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Lots of little piles of fertilizer

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Does it seem like there was an especially good ponderosa pine cone crop? The White-winged and Red Crossbills have been busy opening them.

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Just one of the deer that didn’t make it through the winter

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Remains of an earlier time

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This was probably from one of last year’s fawns

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Sprouts!

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More subtle lichens on a rock

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One of last fall’s mushrooms survived the winter.

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These tiny flowers seem to be growing out of moss

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Back at home, the bees were flying again.

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