winged seeds

Douglas squirrels are going nuts!

Do you hear frenzied scurrying in the conifers? What are the squirrels up to?

Billions of maple flowers are bursting open near you

Have you ever heard of maple flowers? Would it surprise you that billions are opening in your neighborhood right now?

Which one is native to the Pacific Northwest?

Three of these might be found on your dinner table. The other is a native tree of the Pacific Northwest. Which are which?

Why are Douglas-fir cones falling when they're still green?

Something is causing green Douglas-fir cones to fall from the trees before they are ripe. And, the cones are getting piled up into mounds. Who’s doing this?

Cones on Douglas-firs this year!

Douglas-fir cones are re-appearing again after a year of no cones.

Douglas-fir seeds: a trick question

Let's take apart a Douglas-fir cone with a pair of kitchen shears. What's inside?

For old cones, you'd expect that most or all of the seeds are gone, which is what we find.

What do Douglas-fir seeds look like? How many are there?

And finally, read this for a trick question ...

Maple seeds: nature's helicopters

This is the season that winged seeds of maple trees helicopter down to the ground. What advantage do the whirling seeds provide to maple trees?

Why do cones tend to grow near the tops of conifer trees?

As a rule-of-thumb, most seed cones (female cones) tend to grow in the upper portions of trees. Why is this?