justbelightful's photostream

CollectionsSetsGalleriesTagsPeopleMapArchivesFavoritesProfile

Bristlecone Pines

Continuing the series from my visit to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains of California. The tree (or double tree) to the bottom right is something like 400 years old, said the ranger. The large one, well over a thousand! Their slow-growing nature is one of the reasons for their longevity.

Uploaded on Jan 15, 2012

13 comments

Bristlecone, 5

Uploaded on Jan 15, 2012

10 comments

Bristlecone, 6

The trees grow in nutrient poor dolomite soil, which is almost white. Little else can grow here, so the trees have very little competition. In general, the conditions are very harsh on top of these mountains. The fact that the trees grow very little each year, adding a little hard layer at a time, helps them survive for such long periods of time.

Uploaded on Jan 15, 2012

5 comments