In early September, the cones of our native evergreen conifers – white pines, balsam firs, spruces, hemlocks and arborvitae (white cedar) – are abundant and easily collected from the ground. This activity, designed for small groups of any age, will increase awareness that different kinds of cones come from different kinds of trees, that not all Maine evergreens are “pines.”

Materials

. Cones from each of 4 or 5 different kinds of conifers, one set per child, plus one extra set

. Short branches of needles from each type of conifer, one set per child

. Clues (see below) written on small slips of paper, one set per child

. 1 paper label for each cone type, identifying the cone by tree name

. 1 set of paper labels with consecutive numbers (1-4 or 1-5, depending on the number of cone types)

. 1 die

. Several sandwich bags

. Scotch tape

Preparation

Involve the children in collecting the cones and branches. This will give you a chance to point out the distinguishing characteristics of each tree. For example, you can explain that white pine needles are in clusters of 5, while the needles of firs, spruce and hemlocks are attached singly to the stems. Encourage each child to compare firsthand the prickly feel of spruce needles compared to the softness of fir needles. Ask them to “shake hands” with the tree. Show them the white stripes on the undersides of fir and hemlock needles, a characteristic shared by both conifers, then show them the difference in how the needle of each type is attached to the branch.

For conifers with relatively large cones, such as pine, spruce and fir, one cone per set is sufficient. You may want to place the fir cones in sandwich bags – the sticky sap is hard to wash off!

Cones of arborvitae are too small to be handled singly and are best collected in small sprays cut from the branches. Several small cones of hemlock can be placed in a sandwich bag for each set.

For each type of cone in each child’s set, write the following clue and conifer type on a small slip of paper and tape the clue to the cone or bag.

“Clusters of 5 needles” (white pine)

“Flat, single needles with white stripes on underside, attached to branch by short stem” (hemlock)

“Short, 4-sided, prickly needles which grow all around the branch” (spruce)

“Flat, single needles with white stripes on underside, attached directly to branch; very aromatic when crushed” (balsam fir)

“Small scalelike needles in flat sprays” (arborvitae)

The activity

On a table or other flat surface, arrange the extra set of cones in rows, identifying each type of cone with a consecutive number and a label that bears the name of the tree (as shown in photograph). Each child should have their collections of cones and branches at hand.

At your signal, one child in the group throws the die (if 6, throw again), studies the appropriately labeled cone in the extra set, and finds the same cone type in his collection. After reading the clue out loud and examining the collection of branches, he places the cone with the appropriate branch.

The die is passed from child to child until someone matches all of their cones to branches. Or, continue until each child has successfully matched every cone and everybody wins.

Note: For adults who need assistance with identifying native conifers and their cones, I recommend Marilyn Dwelley’s book, “Trees and Shrubs of New England” (2000, Down East Books, ISBN 0-89272-491-9). Or surf the Internet for a user-friendly site.