Nate, you always find the coolest things!

My guess is beavers on the aspen..

-Sam

Hi Nate!
Gooooood, very nice findings, congrats.
L+M S

Yeah, Nate, you did it again!
Don't forget to schedule the others as well, they're also worth to collect some scions off ;0)

i like rock

ken

I like ponderosa broom. Then pungens broom, too. Then narrow dougs also. And the next 20, what you find there...
Zsolt

Thanks Sam, L+M, Edwin, Ken, and Zsolt!

I'll be back to that park again for sure. At 3800 acres, there will be lots to discover!

Always nice Nate. Do they call that "Snake Head Rock"? It even has the correct eye.
Looks more like clawing than gnawing on that aspen.

tj

It could be a Porcupine.
Mike

Nice! A good cone crop generally this year, or just on some species?

Resin

The Aspen is most likely smaller rodents possibly mountain
beavers.The Pseudotsuga is really interesting to me!Very cool!The rock is just another example of prepermian
bivalve petrification.Kidding of course....looks like a big clam.What a strange and beautiful place.Doug

Resin, I haven't noticed an abundance of cones this year. There is a P. sylvestris across the street that cones heavily every year, including this year. I also saw one P. menziesii in the mountains last weekend with many cones, but that seemed to be the exception. It's been a cool spring, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

Doug, there were a few narrow form P. menziesii up there, I will probably collect scionwood next winter.

Pseudotsuga menziesii (along with P. contorta and P. ponderosa)
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Yesterday I went back to prune the ponderosa broom.
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Pinus ponderosa 'Herbie'
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Ponderosa broom cuttings
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There was a temperature inversion, with 45F/7C temps in the mountains, and 25F/-4C at the lower altitudes.
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Frosty conifers in the fog, at lower elevation
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Wow!
That Doug fir is thrilling. My guess is that aspen is eaten by rabbit, elk is my second guess.

Good work Nate. Interesting about the inverse temps.

Thanks Nate for the nice additional pics!
I like that narrow Pseudotsuga also very much.
After who did you name the 'Herbie', was it the VW bug?

Thanks Jari, Severnside, and Edwin!

Edwin, you might be on to something there . . .

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I like that pondy broom Nate.

Cheers,

Dax