Squirrels do one of two things with a pine cone: eat the seeds immediately or cache them. Pine seeds that will be stored (cached) for later use need to be handled with care. Exposure to oxygen can ...

Garden: Pining for pine conesIn this 2008 file photo, Overland Trail Middle school students, from left to right, Josh Wiedeman, Devin Wagner and Clint Choka look at a Ponderosa pine cone to study ...

These are willow pine cone galls. Like most galls, these began in early spring during the active-growth period for the plant and the egg-laying season for the midge.

Robert Miller is a freelance columnist for Hearst Connecticut Media Group, covering the environment. He has been working as a reporter in western Connecticut since 1978. He has covered the ...