A tree's cone-like seeds give it away, but a number of other features can help further identify a conifer. The way the cone is shaped and the way it hangs on the tree (sticking up or hanging down ...

It's a more common sight to see separate male and female cones like this. (Courtesy William "Ned" Friedman) Every spring the conifer trees at the Arnold Arboretum burst out in buds: hundreds of ...

Evergreen trees that produce cones are called conifers. There are more than 600 species of conifers — which include pines, firs and spruce — each with its own type and size of cones.

Pine cone fragments are neatly arranged in a circle around the squirrel’s perch. Synchronized conifer masting cycles — or the yearly variation in the number of cones produced — vary by species.

And what’s a great way to offer all three? Plant small conifer trees for birds! Seed-filled or berrylike cones offer food for ...

His job is to climb California conifers — pines, firs, cedars and redwoods — to collect their cones. Inside these spiny reproductive globes are the real prize: seeds. But things can turn dicey ...

Their upper and lower bills cross like a pair of scissors. The bill serves well to separate adjacent scales of the cones of conifers. Once the scales are separated, the hard harpoon-like tongue of ...

Hotter, drier conditions driven by climate change in the mountain range have made certain regions once hospitable to conifers — such ... mismatch for the cone-bearing trees.

These birds are specialized for feeding on conifer seeds, using the crossed bill to open cone scales so the seeds can be extracted. They can open closed cones but also use those whose scales have ...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at Detroit Metro Airport found rare seed bugs among undeclared cypress cones arriving from Jordan.