[NatureNS] popping pine cones this afternoon

To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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From: Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca>
Date: Sun, 13 May 2018 21:03:10 -0300
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It reminds me of friends from Moscow who once told me that if you listen 
closely on a quiet and moist summer night, you can hear the earthworms 
making slight noises (perhaps slithering? or sucking?) as they extend in 
and out of their burrows.  My backyard is teaming with earthworms, but I 
still haven't really heard them. Right now there is a chorus of peepers 
that nearly hurts my ears from the back yard as they call from our new 
and highly successful salamander-frog pond.  I'll try later in summer to 
listen for earthworms before my hearing goes.  It's very sad this loss 
of hearing with age.  I dread the day I cannot hear the high-pitched 
warblers, and have already started taking precautions.

Utube has a video of "popping pine cones" on what appears to be Scots 
pine.  I suspect white and red pine do not do this.  Perhaps it is only 
Scots and jack pine for our area.

Donna Crossland


On 2018-05-13 6:34 PM, David wrote:
> Hi Donna & All,
>     I did not know cones popped. Interesting.
>       On a somewhat related note, and by way of warning to those who 
> still have good hearing, I once had excellent hearing and e.g. when 
> sitting in woods in fall evenings could hear the clicks made by a 
> Spruce needle as it fell and variously hit live or dead wood on the 
> way down and predict when it would hit ground. Age diminishes hearing 
> but I damaged mine by using a chain saw for several years without ear 
> protection.
>     And back about 1940, when the world had much less noise, I heard 
> Radish coming up at dusk one evening in the vegetable garden (no 
> kidding). When the soil crust breaks, the fracture makes a faint pop 
> sound.
> Yt, DW, Kentville
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Donna Crossland" <dcrossland@eastlink.ca>
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Sent: 5/13/2018 5:41:46 PM
> Subject: [NatureNS] popping pine cones this afternoon
>
>> I took a moment to relax in the sun at around 5 PM, and then quickly 
>> noticed a popping sound coming from the trees.  At first I thought it 
>> was the horse chestnut, which is 'popping' out leaves and flower 
>> stems in great rapidity, but when I finally rose to take a closer 
>> look, I realized it was the Scots pine.  It isn't my favorite yard 
>> tree, but it was very cool listening to the cones popping open just 
>> now under the warm spring sun.  Some of the wings from seeds had 
>> floated down on the patio deck.  The seed had been removed. This was 
>> perhaps the work of the white-breasted nuthatch who was very quiet 
>> and busy moving around in the tree.
>>
>> I've never hit the timing just right before to "hear" pine cones 
>> popping.  Very cool.
>>
>> Donna
>>
>>
>>
>> ---
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>

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