Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: evergreen

Steve and I went to Riverside Park last weekend and while I was walking around, I found this pine tree (Fir?) that had some dying needles and they looked amazing with the light shining through them!

(This is my submission for The Sunday Challenge: Curves :D) Yesterday Steve and I spent a couple of hours at Riverside Park in Grants Pass, Oregon, and really enjoyed the autumn show going on there. As I was walking around, I noticed the evergreen plants too, and walked over to look at this Holly bush. Suddenly I noticed that many of the leaves had no prickles! How odd!! I found out that this can occur because of drought, young leaves will sometimes not have prickles, and if a Holly shrub is really huge, it may stop producing the prickles because it has enough leaves that the energy necessary to produce the prickles isn't necessary. (I wonder about that answer...) If you would like to know more about this plant, Wiki has a great page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly

Here's another flowering bush that was planted here by previous owners, and I admire both its lovely blossoms and its drought-tolerance! It never gets watered and somehow stays alive, seeming to do fine in the hot and dry summers we have here, as well as the freezing winters. Did you know that there are over 1000 species of wild Rhododendron and over 28,000 cultivated species?! WOW!! This beautiful and extremely popular flowering shrub is native to most parts of the world except Africa and South America, and it's the national flower of Nepal. Many Rhododendrons are evergreens (including ours), which adds to their popularity as a landscaping plant. Some tropical species are epiphytes, growing on the sides of trees! Finally, did you know that Azaleas are actually a type of Rhododendron?! No wonder they look so similar!! :D If you would like to know more about Rhododendrons, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Rhododendron . Also, if you want more information and lots of pictures, The American Rhododendron Society also has a wonderful site!

(If you have a moment, I entered this picture and a write-up about the Palmerton Arboretum into a contest, and it would be wonderful if you would go there and "Like" the picture if you like my story and image! :) Weekly Writing and Photography Contest: Palmerton Arboretum ) Yesterday Steve and I went on another Sunday Lunch ride, which started at the beautiful Palmerton Arboretum in Rogue River. I have taken many pictures there and never tire of the amazing trees and plants there. This is the national tree of Chile, known as a Monkey Puzzle Tree or Chilean Pine Tree. However, I like to call it the Amazing Dr. Seuss Tree! It's covered with branches that twist and turn in all directions, and every inch is covered with spines! Totally spectacular to see and easily my favorite plant at the arboretum. More information about this tree from Wikipedia: Araucaria araucana (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, Chilean pine, or pehuén) is an evergreen tree growing to 40 metres (130 ft) tall with a 2 metres (7 ft) trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Because of the great age of this species it is sometimes described as a living fossil and can live as long as 1,000 years! Thanks to my dear Chilean friend Noelegroj (Jorge Leon Cabello) , who so kindly told me what kind of tree this was!! Please make sure to visit his photostream when you can, as his photography of Chile is incredible!!