Your right ... a really dumb question ... but I don't know the answer either LOL ... I can only guess moisture rehydrates the cone and causes the reverse mechanism that opens the cone ... that is perhaps the cone opens as it drys out ... LOL ... hey it almost never rains out here !!

Good Day ...

I'm a novice at botany, but I'm pretty good at finding info on the Internet. And sometimes I just get lucky. Look what I found.

Shelley

Here is a link that might be useful: Q & A - Why do pine cones open and close?

Shelley, that was a good find! How'd you do that?

And Rosa, this is something I'd noticed, since I'm a collector of pods, cones, seedpods, etc. but never knew "why"...so thanks for asking. I really enjoyed the explanation. josh

Way cool, Shelley!! Thanks for finding this. of course it makes perfect sense, lol!! Now I even have somthing to print and give to the neighbor guy.

Shelly, I decorate with winter botanicals to make seasonal wreaths. I also teach classes how to select and use material to form a wreath. I look forward to sharing this in my classes!
Thank you, it feels good to understand nature better!

When I used to live outside of Madrid, Spain, there was a huge pine tree which pinon tree full of nuts which we use to pick out of the cones and eat...it was like eating meat!
Very sweet and satisfying to eat.

YOur article reminded me of those wonderful memories, and now you only made it better! Thanks again

I'm so glad you've enjoyed the article. Since I'm a novice at botany, I have to do something to earn my keep on this forum :-) But I really did get lucky with this. I just searched with Google.

Shelley

Interesting article on pinecones, never noticed that they opened and closed. Thanks for the Botany lesson !!
Karen

There's nothing like learning from Mother Nature :)

Intelligent clothing inspired by pine cones

A new type of 'smart' clothing which adapts to changing temperatures to keep the wearer comfortable is being developed by two universities using nature as a guide.

The clothing will use the latest in micro technology to produce material which will let in air to cool a wearer when it is hot and shut out air when it is cold. This is similar to a system used by pine cones to open up and emit seeds.

It has been said that there are no dumb questions. Just yesterday, I heard small pops at my desk and discovered that some Calliandra legumes I collected a few days earlier had dried, were popping open and were throwing their seeds across the room. It is the same mechanics as pine cones opening but with more force.