For Ever Green

When we climbed trails up in the Chisos Basin of the mountains of Big Bend NP, there we found plenty of evergreens.

View from Lost Mine Trail

I am not very good at evergreen identification, so I don't know the exact species of the next pine tree but I think it is a pinyon pine.

Pinyon Pine

I did learn that the only place north of the border where the Mexican Drooping Juniper, Juniperus flaccida, grows, is in Big Bend NP.

Mexican Drooping Juniper

We also saw the Alligator Juniper, Juniperus deppeana, which is easily identified by the bark on its trunk.

Alligator Juniper Bark

The The Golden-cheeked Warbler depends on mature Ashe Juniper habitat, Juniperus ashei, found in the Texas Hill country on the Edwards Plateau. This warbler only uses the shedded bark of this tree as nesting material. Only trees 40 to 50 years old, shred their bark.

Ashe Juniper has blue fruit

Mature Ashe Juniper Bark

Even among evergreen trees and plants, you can find color such as the red seed pods on the Evergreen Sumac, Rhus virens, and the blooming evergreen Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundiflora. I found Mountain Laurel in Big Bend NP but the photo is taken in Lost Maples SNA.

Evergreen Sumac

Free wallpaper (desktop background) for personal use
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Mountain Laurel

Free wallpaper (desktop background) for personal use
Click on above picture, then on next picture right-click and set as background

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars

All images © MSCI