Cone Collecting

    I noticed this collection of spruce cones neatly stored on a stump the other day.  I assume a squirrel gathered them for winter storage.  When I decided on a title for this piece, it reminded me of the “Cone Collecting” that used to take place at the Forest Service when I worked there.  

    In the early spring they would sometimes send out a small crew to collect cones from superior trees.  The crew had a rifle and would shoot off clusters of cones from the top of the tree then collect them as they lay on the ground.  I often wondered how efficient it was to collect cones this way; suspecting maybe it was more of a “fun” project.  Other times they would just fell a tree to get the cones.  

    We have a spruce tree adjacent to our house and every fall for a few days the spruce cones rain down and bounce on our metal roof as a busy squirrel bites them loose from the tree and lets them fall, then later spends days gathering the cones from the ground (and our roof). 

Take a look at my photo-realistic paintings:  davidmarchant2.ca