Mwoah!!!

Seed cone from the Sequoiadendron Wellingtonia Giganteum.

Went on a school field trip with my Year 4s today, to a very local Ecology Centre. It was so interesting. We studied birds and wasps nests, bee hives, pond life and trees.

I love trees.

This cone comes from a tree native to Sierra Nevada, California, and can grow to 80m tall. Apparently the seeds are typically only released from the cone when a lightning strike starts a wildfire, and the heat forces the 'kissy lips' open, spitting out the seeds. The tree itself is protected from the fire by its thick, spongey bark. How clever.