Pine Cone Roses

From the Deodar Cedar tree.  The name derives from Sanskrit that translates to "timber of the gods."  The tree is native to the Himalayas and can reach 250' tall.  It was introduced to Europe in 1822 and to the U.S. in 1831.

I had no idea I lived close to one of these trees until I took an extended walk today and found hundreds of pine cone roses lying about.  Naturally, I had to pick up a bag full.  They're very hard to resist.  

My son is baffled by my pine cone collection.  I have some that I picked up in the redwood forest in California 60+ years ago.  I'm sure that was illegal even then although I didn't know it.   

A few years back he and I visited San Quentin on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay which is both a tourist attraction and a federally protected bird sanctuary.  There are thousands of bird feathers on the ground so I picked up a pocket full until I was politely reprimanded by a ranger that such activity was illegal.  I returned most of them but must have missed a few in the bottom of my pocket. :}