Pine trees, spruce trees, fir trees, and hemlock trees are all gymnosperms. That means that their seeds are not covered by some type of fruit. Essentially, they have naked seeds. In terms of number of species, they do not dominate the earth.

Angiosperms, plants that have their seeds covered in some fashion, such as fruit, are the most numerous plant species on earth. Angiosperms would be represented by apple, walnut or oak trees, peas, beans or even maple trees. While angiosperms, for the most part, rely of bees, moths, butterflies or even bats to pollinate them, gymnosperms rely on the wind for pollination.

Pine trees produce a tremendous amount of pollen from the male cones. Being so light in weight, the pollen can be carried great distances by the slightest breezes. I leave my pickup parked in the driveway and often, as temperatures rise in late spring, I leave the windows cracked open a bit. It is amazing how over a period of days a thin yellow dusting of pollen accumulates on my dash, console and seats. More surprising is that the closest white pine trees are about 60 yards away. It is indeed pine pollen. The massive amount of airborne pollen is a major reason my allergies affect me at that time of the year.

Maybe you are in the same situation. Conifers may encounter a problem with a rainy weather stretch when the majority of the male cone’s pollen is released. But from the success, and number of conifers everywhere, apparently air saturated with pollen has proved successful.

Some of the purpose of this week’s column is to help you identify conifers by the type of cones they produce. Note that cones get pollinated in the spring, but the cone and seeds don’t fully develop until the autumn of the next year. Most cones are almost as wide as they are long. The big exception is our most common pine, the white pine. The white pine cones are 5 to 7 inches long. Also, compared to most others, the outside of the scales covering the cones are rather smooth. Pine cones drape downward from the branches while many others may have them attached, stalkless to the top or sides of a branch.

Red squirrels are more common in white pine forests, relying heavily on the seeds of those pines. In my fall forays I often find mounds of the pine cones bracts on piles next to a tree stump or fallen log (minus the seeds).

Male cones appear in spring, and these green cones drop after releasing millions of spores. Female cones generally remain on the tree until the seeds are fully developed (the nest year). They can drop off, or some even linger another year or two. (Unless squirrels harvest them, of course.) The seeds of pines, firs, etc. are, as stated earlier, naked, without an ovary covering them. They are winged and can drift very far.

Some interesting conifer trivia: White pines or even hemlocks can employ masting. This occurs when the tree doesn’t produce much or any fruit for a few years, and then BAM, the next year they produce an overabundance. Biologists believe this is a tree’s trickery. By not producing many cones for a few years, the squirrels may move to another section of forest looking for greener pastures.

Then, when fewer squirrels are now in that area, the trees flood the area with seeds. Even if the squirrels return, they can’t possibly find all the cones and eat all the seeds. What do I always say? Nature is full of surprises and amazing adaptations. So get out there.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Knowing that pine pollen is spread by the wind, are there more male cones on the lower branches or at the tops of the pines?

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: There is no set time for a bear to den up. Pregnant females do den first. I did have a game cam taking pictures of a black bear into the last week of January one year. A bitter cold stretch followed and he probably denned then.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com