Coniferous Cruisin

     As the colored veil of autumn leaves falls away from its twig moorings late in October and into early November, coniferous trees come to the forefront in woods and suburban areas.  Some days those dead deciduous leaves drop in great numbers, swirling and side-slipping down, resembling a snow fall with big, multi-colored flakes.  Those leaves become crunchy carpets of yellow, red and brown underfoot.  At that same time, the green needles of the conifers become more visible  and enhance the beauties of woods and suburbs.  The evergreens have come into their own for the winter. 
      Suburban areas are the fastest growing human-made habitat in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as throughout much of the nation.  During late October and well into November I like to drive this county's, woodlands and suburbs, mostly the suburbs, to see remnant autumn leaves and
emerging conifers.  At no time are the conifers' beauties more visible.  And at no time do those habitats seem as wild, nor look more beautiful.  Berries, nuts and seeds are everywhere in those environments; foods that sustain several kinds of birds and mammals through winter.  And many kinds of lovely and interesting birds are noticed feasting on those wild foods.       
     There are a few kinds of native and wild coniferous trees in Lancaster County.  Small clumps of eastern hemlocks remain in Susquehanna River ravines in spite of the devastation of the wooly adelgids killing many hemlocks.  Wild white pines and pitch pines are sprinkled through the Furnace Hills of northern Lancaster County.  Little colonies of table mountain pines blotch rock outcroppings in the forested river hills along the Susquehanna.  Red junipers and scrub pines dominate the pine barrens of southern Lancaster County.  And many more red junipers dot the broad shoulders of expressways in this county. 
     But most conifers in Lancaster County were planted on lawns, including hemlocks and white pines that are native to this county, and non-native Norway spruces, blue spruces, red spruces, northern white cedars (arborvitae) and yews.  These trees are planted on lawns because of their handsome shapes, attractive cones, and their needles that stay green all year around, including winter when we need that symbol of life the most.  And it's mostly the suburbs I drive through late in fall and through winter to see the magnificent shapes, pretty cones and evergreen needles of coniferous trees on those lawns.  Their beauties are most visible then, against the gray trunks of bare deciduous trees, snow and blue skies. 
     I create routes of coniferous cruising in suburban areas to see the most magnificent conifers of several kinds in the least amount of time and gasoline.  And those trees' beauties are always impressive and inspiring.  They are always well worth the trip, especially when covered with snow with snow on the ground.  And they are handsomely silhouetted at night against clouds that are illuminated by outdoor lights, particularly during a snowfall.
     Norway spruces are my favorite conifers on lawns.  They become tall and majestic, and, so far, don't seem subject to strong winds, pests or diseases.  White pines break off easily in high wind and hemlocks are being destroyed by wooly adelgids.  Norway spruces also have beautiful, red female flowers in May and large, attractive cones in fall and winter.      
     Several kinds of birds roost in conifers in winter, including those in the suburbs.  They include mourning doves, red-tailed and Cooper's hawks, great horned owls, American crows, dark-eyed juncos and other species.  One can see some of those birds entering conifers late in winter afternoons.  Those same types of birds also nest in evergreens. 
     Squirrels and certain species of birds eat the seeds from coniferous cones in winter, including American goldfinches, pine siskins, dark-eyed juncos, two kinds of chickadees and two species of crossbills.  Crossbills have bills especially adapted to getting seeds from between the scales of cones.  Their beaks are crossed to pry open the scales while their sticky tongues extract the seeds.   
     Readers may want to create driving routes to see coniferous trees during the last part of fall and well into winter.  Those trees are impressive and inspiring.