Pitch pine cone

There are easier places to live than in the upper reaches of a local rock pile known as Lantern Hill. I try to climb this promontory at least once a month—this coincides with my trips to the dump, which is very close to the trailhead—and when I've nearly reached the top, I marvel at the hardiest of plants that can survive in the thin gruel of soil that can't offer much more than the most minimum of nutrients. Still, the Pitch Pines are doing just fine, and they, along with the similarly hardy Chinquapins and Bear Oaks, dominate the hilltop. Pitch Pines, a three-needled variety, are adapted to thrive in dry places that are frequently swept by fire. In fact, their pine cones, which can hang on the trees for many years, often only open when a blaze sweeps through the landscape. There's a word for this tendency: serotinous. According to my latest go-to field guide, Trees of Eastern North America, the cones can also open and release their seeds when they grow old.  This one, I suspect, is getting tired of waiting for a burn.