Of red pine cones and carpe diem

Bridgwater Forest

I met my first red pine cone a few years ago. It was a memorable experience as I had never met one before. Sadly, I never got the chance to capture it — after all, isn’t that what one does or at least, tries to do?

I promised myself that should Mother Nature ever repeat and the opportunity to meet another one comes my way, I would make sure that my camera was ready.

Well, guess what? Nature repeated this spring. I spotted them high atop a beautiful tree on McGillivray. Needless to say, I was excited, as to me, it was a rarity.

I returned home thinking about the red pine cones and how long had it been since the last time that I saw some.

This time, my camera was ready but alas, I was not.

I delayed.

It was a little over a week before I could return to capture the elusive red pine cone. By then, the vibrant rich red hues were already starting to fade and once again, I lost my chance.

Yes, it is a pine cone that I am talking about or at least I thought it was.

So, to better understand what I saw, like anyone, I did some research along with my ‘trusty’ friend Google.

And what did I discover?

To my surprise, what I thought was a pine tree was actually a spruce tree – likely a Norway spruce. While both are evergreens, spruce and pine are very different as are their cones.

To begin, from what I can gather as a layperson, a simple way to tell the difference is that pine cones tend to grow upwards and spruce hang down. My red cones hung down. I also learned that depending on conditions, the spruce may take a break from producing the cones which explains the gap between the first time that I saw one and this year’s.

There is of course a lesson in here. And funny enough it is not anything new. In fact, we have likely heard it delivered in a number of ways. Everything from: “you only live once,” “be in the moment,” “seize the day,” or, alternately, “carpe diem.”

Whether it is my elusive red cone, a new bird to your yard, a visit with a family member, a job opportunity or simply an opportunity to meet someone new and say hello — don’t wait. Some opportunities may never come around a second time.

Carpe diem!