Umbrella Tree – Colorado

Umbrella Tree – Front Range, Colorado

Draped in the thick blanket of winter, a young ponderosa pine poses as an umbrella near the end of a rocky ridge. Growing in the foothills of Colorado’s Front Range, this ponderosa is likely stunted as it tries to scratch a living from the thin soil between folds of rock. Ponderosa pines are one of about a dozen major conifer species that carpet the Colorado Rockies. Mature trees can reach 160 feet in height and are fire resistant due to their self-pruning branches and thick bark. Upon closer inspection, the furrowed bark also smells remarkably like butterscotch. The pictured tree and surrounding mountains are part of the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, a 45,000 acre network of preserved lands surrounding Boulder, Colorado.