Leaves and fruit of the Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

Location:  Standley Lake Regional Park, Westminster, CO, USA

The Russian Olive tree is a very common species in Colorado, especially in the eastern half of the state.  These trees, with their silvery leaves, flourish near streams and at the edges of marshes.  This photo was taken in September.  Later in the season the fruits, which are edible, turn a golden yellow.

Native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, the Russian Olive was introduced in the United States in the nineteenth century.  Originally cultivated in the U.S. as an ornamental plant, it eventually spread to the wild.

Here is a link to a fact sheet about the Russian Olive (2-page pdf) from the Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group.

Early Autumn Colors in Summit County, Colorado

Trees in Early Autumn

Location:  Summit County, Colorado, USA

It is still September, but many of the trees in the Colorado high country already are sporting their Autumn colors.  Most of the trees on this hillside are aspens, famous for bright gold foliage at this time of year.  The photo was taken outside the little town of Blue River, Colorado.

Needles and Cone of the Lodgepole Pine

Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta)

Location:  Jackson, Wyoming, USA

The Lodgepole Pine is native to North America and is  abundant in the Rocky Mountains, from the Yukon in the north, to Colorado in the south.  The trees are ecologically suited to higher elevations, above 6,000 feet.  The trees typically have single, very straight trunks.  In earlier times, American Indians used the younger trees of this species for erecting tepee lodges, hence the common name.   Today the timber is used for construction and pulp.

Conifer Tree Rings

Cross-section of Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta latifolia)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

This is the top of the stump of a Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta latifolia) that had just been cut down by staff members in Rocky Mountain National Park. The tree's annual growth rings are clearly visible.  I thought the variations in coloration were interesting.

A Profusion of Pine Cones

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

In an area of Rocky Mountain National Park dominated by Lodgepole Pines and Ponderosa Pines, the ground alongside a certain hiking trail was completely carpeted with pine cones and twigs.  Here and there a few green seedlings poked through the piney rubble.

Lone Kiawe tree near the ocean

Kiawe (Prosopis pallida)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The area around the Kaiholena Public Shoreline Access in the North Kohala district of Hawaii's Big Island is very dry.  Vegetation mostly consists of grasses, scrubby bushes and Kiawe trees.  This particular Kiawe tree (Prosopis pallida) stands like a lone sentinel at the base of the footpath that leads from the parking area to the shoreline.

Note:  For more information about the Kiawe, click here.

Kiawe (Prosopis pallida)

Kiawe (Prosopis pallida)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Trees like this are a common sight in the area where we live, on the leeward side of Hawaii's Big Island.   It is a Kiawe (Prosopis pallida), a hardwood tree native to South America.

All of the Kiawe trees in Hawaii are said to have descended from a single tree brought to Honolulu in 1828 by a Catholic priest called Father Bachelot.  According to information about the Kiawe species on the USDA Forest Service website, the original tree planted by Father Bachelot first bore fruit in 1832, and by 1840, "progeny of the tree had become the principal shade trees of Honolulu and were already spreading to dry, leeward plains on all of the islands."

The Kiawe is a useful tree.  For one thing, honeybees like the flowers of Kiawe trees, and Kiawe honey is very popular in the islands.

The tree bears seeds in long pods.  Both the seeds and the pods are said to be high in protein.  They can be ground up and used for animal fodder.

The sturdy hardwood is sometimes used for fence posts.  Some local craftsmen even make furniture and objects like wooden trays from Kiawe.  When polished, the wood has a beautiful grain.  Kiawe, which is related to Mesquite, also is a popular firewood.  It is used for making charcoal, as well.

But be careful if you walk, sit, or park your car beneath a Kiawe tree.  Look carefully for branchlets that have fallen from the tree.  The branchlets bear long, very sharp, very hard thorns that can readily pierce a shoe or a tire!

Update:  Here is another photo of a Kiawe tree, near the ocean.

Silver Buttonwood Leaves and Fruit

Silver Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

A popular ornamental plant here in Hawaii is the Silver Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus).    It thrives in full sun and is known to be both salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant.

Because of its pale silvery-green leaves, this plant often is used in landscaping to provide a contrast to darker foliage.  It is sometimes used as a hedge, but in other settings the bushes are planted as individuals.  We have about a dozen Silver Buttonwoods, interspersed with Ficus trees, planted along one edge of our property as a sort of natural fence.

The Silver Buttonwood bears tiny, pale flowers that mature into small fruits, which grow in clusters on a stalk.   This close-up photo shows the silvery leaves and the mature fruits.

More information: US Forest Service Fact Sheet: Silver Buttonwood - 3-page 'pdf' file

New Growth on a Neem Tree

Neem (Azadirachta indica)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

One morning while I was walking around in my garden taking photos of flowers, I noticed some new growth on one of our Neem trees.  I thought the branchlet, with its tender young translucent leaves, was as worthy a photo subject as the flowers.

Hala Tree Trunk Close-up

Hala (Pandanus tectorius)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Yesterday I posted a picture of a Hala tree (Pandanus tectorius).   Here is a close-up photo of the surface of its trunk.  As its leaf blades are shed, they leave behind ridges that spiral around the trunk.

Hala Tree (Pandanus tectorius)

Hala (Pandanus tectorius)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Here is one of two Hala trees (Pandanus tectorius) that are growing in our palm garden.  They are not really palms, but they seem to fit well amongst the 'real' palms.  We acquired this one as a tiny sprout.

We were hiking on a coastal trail in the northern part of our island.   We stopped to rest near a very large wild Hala tree, and we noticed a few newly germinated seeds on the ground beneath it.   I picked one up to look at it.  A tiny green sprout had just barely emerged from the nut-like seed.  I put it into my pocket, and when we got home, we planted it.  Here it is about five years later.  We have a second offspring of the same 'mama' Hala, which we collected while hiking on the same trail about two years after we found the first one.

This one is just starting to show the aerial prop roots characteristic of the Hala.   In the traditional Hawaiian culture, the leaf blades of this tree (called lau hala) are dried and used to make baskets and woven mats.   The leaf blades grow in a spiral pattern around the trunk.  As they fall off or are removed, they leave marks on the trunk that create an interesting textured pattern.

Update:  Here is a close-up photo of the Hala tree trunk.

Monkey Pod Tree

Monkey Pod (Samanea saman)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Last time, I posted a macro photo of the blossoms on a Monkey Pod tree.  Several people who saw that photo asked what the whole tree looked like.  Here's a photo of a Monkey Pod tree (along with some young mango trees on the left, and some coconut trees on the right).  It is favored in Hawaii as a shade tree, and you can readily see why.  The Monkey Pod tree typically has a wide, dome-shaped canopy.  They grow to a very large size -- about 80 feet in height.