conifers :: essays research papers

While I was in Woodland Cemetery, some organisms that I noticed there were conifer trees. Such as the White Pine (Strobus pinus), Junipers (Juniperus), Doughlasfir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), Hemlocks (Tsuga), Norway Spruce (Picea), White Cedar (Thuja), and Birch trees (Betula) The white Pine tree can be detected by looking at its pine needles. Its needles only come in a bundle of five. Pine needles are consumed by some species of grouse and by several browsers. The white pine tree is also valuable as cover for wildlife. Young trees with foliage spreading near the ground make good all-year cover for game birds, squirrel, deer, and other ground animals. White pines are usually found around well-drained sandy soils, sometimes in pure sand. Juniper grows in pastures, fenced rows, and other open places. Hoofed browsers often eat their twigs and foliage, but the main attraction to wildlife is the bluish-black berry like fruit it produces. The cedar waxwing is one of the principal users of juniper berries, but other animals make these fruit apart of their diet. Junipers also provide important protective and nesting cover for birds and field mice. Doughlasfirs are commonly found on moist, well-drained mountain slopes and in valleys through out the Rockies and in the Pacific Northwest. The ones found here can often exceed 200 feet in height. Western squirrels and other rodents use the small, winged seeds of this conifer. The foliage and twigs are important to several kinds of browsers. Doughlasfir needles, which are tightly compressed with some of the staminate cones, constitute a top rank winter food for blue grouse. Hemlocks are tall straight-trunk conifers and are usually found around moist, cool slopes, mainly in the northern latitudes or on higher mountains. The dense, low foliage of young plants makes excellent winter coverage for ruffed grouse, wild turkey, deer, and other wildlife. The small, winged seeds are important food for the pine siskin, crossbills, chickadees, blue grouse and several other rodents including the red squirrel. Norway Spruce is v-shaped in size and grows on high mountains where the climate is cool and considerable rain falls. Rabbits and deer browse the foliage and twigs in the winter. The small, winged seeds of spruce are valuable food of the white winged crossbill and are eaten by several other kinds of birds, as well as by squirrels and chipmunks.