By Tom Schweich
Recently I wrote about Creeping barberry – Berberis repens Pursh – as a local native plant that retains its leaves through the winter season. In that article I also mentioned two Englishmen, David Douglas and Archibald Menzies, who traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest and became associated with a local native cone-bearing tree: the Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.
Like many of Colorado’s native cone-bearing trees, Douglas-fir retains most of its leaves through the winter while shedding a few old leaves year-round. Douglas-fir is not natively found within the Golden city limits because our climate is too hot and dry. However, along the Peaks to Plains Trail, e.g., at the suspension bridge crossing to Welch Ditch, the north-facing slopes of the canyon provide habitat and a place to see this majestic tree.
Douglas-fir trees are easy to recognize in the field. Besides being a majestic tree, the cones hang downward and have a unique three-pointed bract (see the photo below). Also, the leaves (needles) are arranged around the stem in a spiral and have blunt tips.
Recently I wrote about Creeping barberry – Berberis repens Pursh – as a local native plant that retains its leaves through the winter season. In that article I also mentioned two Englishmen, David Douglas and Archibald Menzies, who traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest and became associated with a local native cone-bearing tree: the Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco.
Like many of Colorado’s native cone-bearing trees, Douglas-fir retains most of its leaves through the winter while shedding a few old leaves year-round. Douglas-fir is not natively found within the Golden city limits because our climate is too hot and dry. However, along the Peaks to Plains Trail, e.g., at the suspension bridge crossing to Welch Ditch, the north-facing slopes of the canyon provide habitat and a place to see this majestic tree.
Douglas-fir trees are easy to recognize in the field. Besides being a majestic tree, the cones hang downward and have a unique three-pointed bract (see the photo below). Also, the leaves (needles) are arranged around the stem in a spiral and have blunt tips.
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