Larch re-needling

The American Larch, Larix laricina, is one enigmatic evergreen. In fact, it really isn't right to call it by the same overall name given to pines, spruces, hemlocks, and other needle-bearing trees. All of these keep their foliage full-time, but the Larch, by contrast, drops its needles every autumn after turning them to a fine gold. So, you could call this tree, which grows into the far north—we're on the southern edge of its wide range—a "deciduous evergreen," but that seems like a silly contradiction in terms. Better to call it by the uniting feature—the cone—and refer to the Larch as a deciduous conifer. It's an uncommon habit for an uncommon tree, but when it is growing a new crop of needles, which it is currently doing, it puts on a beautiful show of sun and green.