Monterey Cypress Trees – Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California

The Monterey cypress, is a species of cypress native to the Central Coast of California. The native range of the species was confined to two small relict populations, at Cypress Point in Pebble Beach and at Point Lobos near Carmel, California. These cypresses, which formerly extended over a much wider range, withdrew to these fog-shrouded headlands as the climate changed with the close of the Pleistocene epoch 15,000 years ago. The outermost trees surviving in the teeth of salt spray and wind, their roots seeking nourishment in cracks and crevices, mirror the forces of nature and time.

They are medium-sized coniferous evergreen trees, which often become irregular and flat-topped as a result of the strong winds that are typical of their native area. They grow to heights of up to 40 m in perfect growing conditions, and the diameter of their trunks can reach 2.5 m.