Several years ago, a superb Connecticut College ornithologist I got to know through the walks I led for the Avalonia Land Conservancy told me about a nearby preserve named the Candlewood Hill Wildlife Management Area. It was a birding hot spot, and I just had to visit, I was urged. I tried a few times, but the preserve was still in its not-quite-ready-for-prime-time days, and every time I attempted to find the alleged entryway, I failed. The trails up and along quite steep ridges were said to be challenging, so when I discovered a guided walk led by experts from the Connecticut Botanical Society, I was more than a little nervous about going. But at least I'd now know where the entrance was, so, putting trepidation aside, I joined the group of dedicated plantsfolks. It was a great decision. While Candlewood was alive with songbirds, its reason-for-being is the Pitch Pine forest that has grown up on the low-water ridge tops. Pinus rigida, a two-needled species, is about the most drought-tolerant plant in the area, and the Candlewood pines were getting very close to opening their pollen-bearing cones and shedding the promise of seed-bearing female cones to continue the species.