365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Mnemonics
Day 78: How can you tell the difference between spruce and fir? That's a fairly common question around here, and something a simple mnemonic device can resolve. The needles of Spruce (starts with S) are square. Fir is flat (F). The images in the boxes show enlarged cross-sections of the needles, but you don't need to make a microscopic analysis. Simply try to roll a single needle between your thumb and forefinger. If it rolls easily (if somewhat bumpily), it's spruce. By virtue of being flat, fir needles won't roll. Wasn't that easy?
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