The Red Spruce tree is (as are all conifers, I assume) "monoecious", meaning it contains both stamens and pistils as separate flowers on the same plant, meaning it can reproduce on its own. (Surely, you remember the words "stamens" and "pistils" from science classes when you were a kid!) If I read the info correctly, the red pendant bud-like flowers are the males, and the green ones are the females. Right now, a fine dust, which is the pollen, I presume, billows from the male buds when the branches are shaken.
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Since I was in the conifer-observing mood today, I had to snap a few photos of other evergreen trees around our yard.Here below is a Colorado Blue Spruce, I think:
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We have a windbreak row of the pine trees whose buds and cones are shown below. They sigh beautifully in the breezes, providing good reason to open the windows of our house........as did Heidi in the famous story.......she loved the sound of the pine trees around her grandpa's cottage.
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And this final photo shows the buds on a soft-needled pine tree.......one of several white pines we dug up and moved from a Christmas tree farm in our area a few years ago. The owner needed to get rid of trees that were growing too large to sell at holiday time.
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3 comments:
I've always had great affection for long/soft needled pines. Although I'm not really sure what emotional memory they evoke, they make me feel comforted. I am always taken by surprise when something nudges a long-forgotten memory. (Then again, maybe it's not a forgotten memory, but a forgotten reference ??)
And yes, I do remember stamens and pistils: everyone laughed and the teacher was so very annoyed.
Very cool, Jeannelle. I love how you focus on the world around you.
P.S. I've never seen buds like that either.
caution,
Maybe there was a soft-needled tree in your yard when you were young. I like these softer ones, too, better than the prickly ones, especially when brushing up against them while mowing lawn.
Hi, Ruth,
My husband said he's seen the red buds in previous years.....he told me this morning, "You were always too busy running kids here and there in May to notice the buds." Maybe......I do think the camera helps me notice more things.
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