There are also several types of non-pine conifers that can be found in Virginia. Fish and Wildlife Service / Public Domain Trees growing in a swamp with reflections on the water, opens a new window by Steve Hillebrand, U.S. This pine is noted for its crooked trunk and the long period between when its cones fall and when they open for fertilization (up to 2 years). The pond pine can’t be found in Fredericksburg but does appear in the extreme southeast of the state, particularly in the Great Dismal Swamp near Norfolk. In the early 20th century, Spotsylvania’s loblolly forests covered much of the county, and the timber industry provided for many families. The loblolly pine is considered a southern yellow pine and produces wood that is valuable for home construction and wooden roller coasters. It can grow in a wide variety of soils and habitats, exists across the state, and is smaller and shorter lived than the white pine. Unlike the white pine, the Virginia pine was not used much in the lumber industry, although it may be used as a Christmas tree. The Virginia pine or “scrub pine” can also be found in the Fredericksburg area. This is the tallest native pine in our state and naturally occurs in the Fredericksburg area. Pines are particularly common in the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains, where you can find large forests of eastern white pine. Pinus strobus, opens a new window by U.S. Pines can grow to be quite old, and many species can easily live over 100 years. Pines always hold their seeds in cones, which typically open and release small, winged seeds that are moved by the wind. Pine trees are evergreen, which means they do not lose their needle-shaped leaves as the fall season begins and can keep their foliage for years if undisturbed. The most numerous of these are Virginia’s pinetrees, of which there are several species that exist in different parts of the state. Some gymnosperms continue to survive and be a vital part of Virginia’s ecosystems to this day. Though the cycads are gone from Virginia’s forests, you can still find them wild in places closer to the equator, such as Central and South America and the state of Florida. Cycads only begun to decline by the middle of the Cretaceous period, to the point in our time when there are no native cycads left in Virginia. Cycads are sometimes called “ Sago palm” because their leaves resemble those of palm trees, but they are not true palm trees an actual palm tree is an angiosperm (flowering plant). They are gymnosperms (naked seed plants) that tend to rely on very specialized insect pollinators for their seeds, which they bear in cones. These ancient trees differ greatly from Virginia’s current forests. Flowering plants (which include oak trees) had not yet evolved, and, in the Triassic and Jurassic eras, much of the flora consisted of cycads. Virginia’s Trees in the Age of Dinosaurs Cycas circinalis, opens a new window by Raul654, opens a new window / CC BY-SA 3.0, opens a new windowĭuring the Mesozoic Era, the Age of Dinosaurs, most of the trees now common in Virginia did not yet exist. This guide will explain to you the history of trees in Virginia, some of the most common types you’ll find today, and a couple of trees that used to be common that vanished from much of the landscape in the 20 th century. Trees provide shade for humans, habitat for animals, and help cool the climate. If you go out on a nature hike, fishing trip, or sightseeing for a vacation, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a great number and variety of tree. It has numerous state forests and natural areas, such as Stafford County’s Crow’s Nest, that are protected by specific counties. With its expansive mountains, coastal marshes, and many lakes and rivers, Virginia is a heavily forested state.
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