Look up, look down, and look all around because it appears to be another banner year for cones. Pine cones, spruce cones, fir cones when we talk “pine” cones it includes them all and today that’s just ...

Look up, look down, and look all around because it appears to be another banner year for cones.:Pine cones, spruce cones, fir cones. When we talk "pine" cones, it includes them all and today that's ...

The oddly crossed bills on this bird is not a deformity at all, but normal shape for a crossbill, a type of finch. These crossed tips are an amazing adaptation to efficiently extract seeds from cones ...

In much of the country, much of the landscape goes barren from fall through spring. Evergreens are typically the workhorse plants that carry us through. But not all evergreens are created equal. A ...

My friend Debbie who lives on Boreas Pass Road photographed a pair of crossbills at her bird feeder. These birds, with their unusual beaks, are uniquely evolved to feed on the seeds of conifers.

Female (left) and male spruce cones at the Arnold Arboretum. It's a more common sight to see separate male and female cones like this. (Courtesy William "Ned" Friedman) Every spring the conifer trees ...

With old man winter approaching shortly, December presents a perfect opportunity for a topic that I have personally been waiting to pontificate on… conifers. This wonderful class of botanical ...