Coquina Daily

Friday, June 26, 2009

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

They may be dressed in formal attire, but don't be fooled - these folks know how to have fun.
suggested by Barb

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Bristlecone Pine

Marla Todd

The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years. Bristlecone pines grow in isolated groves at and just below the tree line. Because of cold temperatures, dry soils, high winds, and short growing seasons, the trees grow very slowly. The wood is very dense and resinous, and thus resistant to invasion by insects, fungi, and other potential pests. As the tree ages, much of its vascular cambium layer may die. In very old specimens, often only a narrow strip of living tissue connects the roots to a handful of live branches.

The oldest known tree is "Methuselah", which is 4,789 years old. An older tree called Prometheus was killed shortly after it was discovered in 1964. This happened when a geologist searching for evidence of Ice Age glaciers was taking some core samples from several bristlecones. Just as he realized he had found a tree over 4,000 years old, his coring tool broke. Amazingly the U.S. Forest Service gave him permission to cut down the tree. Prometheus turned out to be 4,950 years old. It was a 300 year old tree when the pyramids were being built in Egypt. After people heard about this incident, the U.S. Forest Service tightened security around the bristlecones.

The tree is also noteworthy because the needles stay on the limb for over 40 years, unlike most other pines, which shed their needles every few years. This is important, because the tree can go through periods when it does not grow at all. At such high elevations (8,000-11,000 ft), there are years when the environment does not thaw. This prevents the tree from putting on a new year's growth (both foliage and cambium rings.) By keeping its' needles longer, the tree doesn't lose all of its' foliage without having the opportunity to grow new needles. It also means that a tree with 900 obvious rings may be significantly older.
link1   link2   link3   link4


kurt frieden


Zest-pk

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Carlotta Heller

Carlotta - 1987

A celebration of life will be held for Carlotta Heller, on Saturday, June 27, 2009, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, at the Coquina Crossing clubhouse.

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Today's Activities at Coquina Crossing

7:45 & 8:45 Aqua Aerobics
8:00 Tennis
5:00 BYOB Social

Tomorrow's Activities at Coquina Crossing

6:00 Horseshoes
7:00 Clubhouse Bunco

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Click once a day to help feed rescue animals.

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Coquina Daily Sunset

Friday, June 26, 2009