Log only Micro Cache. Bring your own pen
Spatson attatched to a pinecone hanging in a evergreen!
A cone is an organ on plants in the division of Pinophyta (conifers) that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity. Both cones are represented in this park.
Look for a female cone, which is easier to recognize. It will have thick scales with a little barb at the end. If the cone scales are open, you can see the dark brown seeds with a membrane attached. Depending on the type of pine, the female can be as small as 1/2 inch or as big as 2 feet in length.
Find a male cone. They will be small and set in the needles in a cluster formation. The color is a more reddish brown, and the cluster looks like tiny cones in a bundle. Each tiny cone has scales, and they are soft in comparison to the female scales. Each scale will develop a pollen sac, where the pollen grains are formed. Pine pollen is a very fine, sulfur-yellow dust. The males may be easier to find in the spring.
The small male cone lives only a few weeks, after which the pollen sack inside is released. The wind carries the pollen, with some of it hopefully landing in the scales of the female cones.
Can you identify a male and female here?
The pine cone is an amazing study in the story of the birds, the bees, and the trees!
The Amazing Pine Cone
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Lee Gulch Falls TB Hotel (10.95 kms SW)
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