大象传媒

It's easy to walk through the forests of Scotland and take the trees for granted, but the life story of the Scots pine is truly awesome. It starts with the fragile seeds, very vulnerable, but protected by the easily recognisable pine cone. It takes a pine cone three years to reach maturity. It's unusual for a tree to take so long developing its fruit, especially when there are creatures that are so well adapted at plundering the seeds. Red squirrels feast on the pine cones, leaving the characteristic chewed cones strewn on the forest floor. Crossbills are uniquely adapted to reach the seeds on a pine cone with their unusual beaks, which when used correctly peel the protective plates away from the seed and allow the birds to reach the seeds with their tongues. Walking through a pine forest on a hot day, you may hear a cracking sound which is likely to be the pine cone bursting open to throw its seeds into the wind. If the wind is strong enough, the seeds may travel 8-10 kilometres, spreading far and wide across the counrtyside.