Saturday, May 24, 2014

immature spruce cones

Around this time of year i always pick sprucetips.( light green with golden cap)
I noticed the sprucetips had seem to come in different colors this year.
 A closer look revealed the spruce trees are full of immature spruce cones.
What is that all about?
A few years back there was a bumber crop of cones in the top of the trees.
Last year we first noticed how squirrels nip of the tips of spruce tips eat the heart and discard the rest, we have seen that again this year







i shook the branches to make a cloud of yellow pollen.


they are quite tasty!

6 comments:

strider said...

the pink buds are blooms and as such pollen and nectar rich, so yes sweet and tasty, once green leave them alone but later look out for a finch that has a beak that lets it get at the seeds. in the u.k. we know it as the crossbill, not sure what it is called with you... take care jo
best wishes
Rob

jozien said...

Yes, rob the crossbills will like this, and the pine grosbeaks.

But i have in my almost 20 years here in this yard, never seen this, how often does this happen in the uk?

strider said...

no crossbills on the island they can't cross the water, we have some pine and mixed woodland it is good habitat for the "Native" red squirrel, they get to feast on the pine bloom bounty

Rob xxoo

Brian said...

A feast for the eyes out in the timber at this time of year, while listening to the call of the Cuckoo.. On a windy day in the woods where we work,it looks like they are on fire, with billowing yellow smoke as the pollen flies in huge clouds... ;)

Alexandra Proctor said...

Do you know what type of spruce tree this is? It is the same as the spruce we have and I would love to positively identify it. Thanks!
Alexandra
info(at)madewithlove.ca

jozien said...

Thank you all for your comments. It is Picea glauca, White Spruce