William H. Wiley
402-875-1809
bill@wmwiley.com
1221 Rockhurst Dr.
Lincoln, NE 68510
The smooth serviceberry (amelanchier laevis) is a North American species of trees in the rose family, growing up to 30 feet tall. It grows primarily in eastern Canada and the eastern United States. The fruit, which are pomes, are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit has a sweet flavor. The bark can be made into a herbal medicine for expectant mothers. It is a deciduous tree and is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental shrub.
Forests of lodgepole pine trees cover up to 50 million acres in the western regions of North America. Named because Native Americans used the straight and slender poles of the trees to support their lodges, lodgepole pines can grow up to 150 feet and live up to 400 years. They grow in areas with minimum temperatures of -70 degrees Fahrenheit in the northern Rocky Mountains to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in lower elevations. Lodgepole pines produce viable seeds early in their lifespan, around five to 10 years, and they are prolific seed producers, with seeds stored in cones remaining viable for years. In fact, the cones have a resin between their scales that only breaks when temperatures reach 113 Fahrenheit to 140 Fahrenheit, making them among the first trees to repopulate areas after forest fires.
