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Juniperus scopulorum in Mt. Olivet Cemetary, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
I previously posted this pic about a year ago. At the time, bboy raised the possibility that it may be a named cultivar. Recently, I came across this story written by Scott Wilmore, relating the discovery of Juniperus scopulorum 'Gray Gleam', excerpted from The History of W.W. Wilmore Nursery.
The residence for the inventor Scott Wilmore matches the location of the cemetary (Wheat Ridge, CO).
According to the story, Scott Wilmore and Bob More were scouting in Mt. Vernon Canyon. Here is an incredible photo, looking down Mt. Vernon Canyon, toward Denver (Library of Congress, December 1942). Just a few years before they found that tree. The road is U.S. Highway 40, constructed on the north side of the canyon in 1937.
The conifers appear much as they do today, J. scopulorum, P. ponderosa, and P. menziesii. With sparser coverage along the southern-facing part of the canyon, and more dense coverage along the northern-facing slopes (where more snow moisture is retained, due to shade). Now a pic from yesterday, looking up Mt. Vernon Canyon toward the west.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by tsugajunkie z5 SE WI (My Page) on Sun, Jan 22, 12 at 13:33
| Great stuff, Nate. Thanks. tj |
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| Nate, Always enjoy your travel logs and interesting commentary. The 40-41 Chevrolet convertible is also a nice addition. Dave |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 22, 12 at 15:32
| thx... i did not read the patent .... so forgive me if i ask some stupid questions ... are you suggesting that that is the original plant in the last pic .... and are you suggesting he planted one in the cemetery??? how old do you think the cemetery one is???? thx again ken |
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- Posted by coniferjoy (My Page) on Sun, Jan 22, 12 at 15:45
| Nate, you did a great job giving us the background info of this very nice conifer, thanks! |
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| Nate, what a beautiful story about that conifer. I really love reading the history about plants. I too like the old photo with the antique car. Thank you for sharing. |
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| TJ, Dave, Ken, Edwin, and Ladylotus, glad you enjoyed. Ken, nothing special about the plant in the last pic, it's just representative of the junipers in this area. Here's another one from the same cemetary. Platycladus orientalis Juniperus scopulorum and Pinus ponderosa, typical of the hogback near Denver. Juniperus scopulorum and Pinus ponderosa, typical of the hogback near Denver. Soil analysis Looking north toward the Flatirons, there is the the city of Golden. |
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| Boy, sluice, that sticky clay on the shoe looks familiar, especially since that wonderful snow cover we enjoyed for a couple of months has melted. I've been more sliding around than walking. It's a good illustration of why we're tempted to amend our soil along the front range. Great pics, as always! |
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| Ken, I'm guessing that juniper is around 75 years old, give or take. Went by the cemetary today, and the tombstones near the juniper had dates from 1940 to 1943. This assumes the juniper was not more than a few years old when it was planted (at about the same time the tombstone was set). And probably rules out the possibility that the juniper is Gray Gleam, which was found in 1945. Here is a newer part of the cemetary, with smaller conifers. Yea, Barb, the joys of clay! Clay, it's the pits! Now, a few more pics from the weekend excursion. Junipers, and Mt. Vernon canyon Thrush? along the Dakota Hogback, with pinus ponderosa and juniperus scopulorum. Juniperus scopulorum cones Pinus ponderosa cone South Table mountain, and the city of Golden. The athletic fields are at the School of Mines. A little higher up, another view of South Table, with Denver in the distance. South Table again. |
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| "Thrush? along the Dakota Hogback, with pinus ponderosa and juniperus scopulorum" Yep, a thrush; American Robin Turdus migratorius. Resin |
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- Posted by coniferjoy (My Page) on Wed, Jan 25, 12 at 5:29
| In Western Europe we've the Turdus merulus which is a causin of the Turdus migratorius. In the past I had several mutations of these blackbirds in my aviary and I breeded these with a great success. Breeding European birds mutations was a hobby of mine before I started with conifers... Turdus merulus  |
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- Posted by gardener365 IL 5/6 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 25, 12 at 8:01
| Now isn't that cool, a bird breeder. Dax |
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- Posted by coniferjoy (My Page) on Wed, Jan 25, 12 at 16:25
| Breeding birds is as cool as cultivating conifers. The big difference is that we can multiply conifers at the time we want, birds doesn't do that, they don't let them forced and all will be done in a natural way. Just like conifers, there are also bird mutations but I guess there will be another forum for those... |
Here is a link that might be useful: blackbird mutations
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- Posted by severnside UKsouthwest9 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 29, 12 at 6:54
| South Table mountain, and the city of Golden. The athletic fields are at the School of Mines. That's amazing, the mountain and then the epic flatness forever. Great thread Sluice! |
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| Thanks Resin and Coniferjoy for the bird info! Severnside, glad you enjoyed! This is Clear Creek canyon, just outside of Golden. Here's North Table mountain, companion to South Table. It's a good place to hike, with views of the Denver area. Juniperus scopulorum on North Table
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