An Exploration of the Nature Preserve's Evergreens

Over the last 14 years we've planted many evergreens in the nature preserve's reforestation fields. Most of these native species create important year-round habitat for birds and other wildlife. 

Our White Spruce Trees are loaded with pine cones this winter.

White Spruce has blue-green needles which are fairly sharp and about 3/4 " long

Spruce cones are very popular with crossbills

Norway Spruce are not native but many birds find them to be useful habitat

Norway Spruce have drooping branchlets and needles that appear dark green

Balsam Fir has relatively soft,  fairly long needles which are light-colored beneath

Eastern Hemlock is the most common naturally occurring evergreen in our region

The Eastern Hemlock has very small cones - only 5/8 " to 1" long

The underside of the Eastern Hemlock's needles are whitish

Hemlocks are favored trees of owls like this Barred Owl

The White Cedar (Arbor Vitae) has flat, branching - almost fern-like leaves

White Cedar produces very small and brittle bell-like cones

Young Red Cedars grow in an old meadow

Red Cedar has needle-like leaves - It is a Juniper and is not related to White Cedar

Dwarf Juniper appears flat and pillow-like in our old meadows

The  sharp 3-sided needles of this Juniper are whitish on the top 

Non-native Scotch Pine can have very orange bark - particularly on its branches

The needles of the Scotch Pine grow in bundles of 2 and appear twisted

The pine cones of the Scotch Pine are up to 2.5" long

The cones of the Pitch Pine are up to 3" long - they can remain on the tree for years

Pitch Pine needles come in bundles of 3

The remains of a hornets nest still hang in this Pitch Pine

The Red Pine

The cones of a Red Pine are up to 2.5 inches long - Needles are in pairs

White Pines offer some protection from the elements for wildlife

Recently used beds of White-tailed Deer found beneath the White Pines

White Pine needles come in bundles of 5

The Porcupine favors feeding on needles from Hemlock and White Pine

The Tamarack sheds its needles in the fall

Tamarack branches can be covered with small cones