Friday, 8:30 AM. 15 degrees, up from 11 degrees at 8:00 AM. Wind SW, calm. The sky is clear but hazy, and the barometer predicts snow.The red pine (sometimes erroneously called Norway pine), Pinus resinosa, is the other major pine species of the Wisconsin north woods, its native range being basically around the Great Lakes and east. It is more prevalent on sandy and dry, poor soils. It also becomes a massive, ancient, tall tree. It is more regular in shape, not as “picturesque” in old age as the white pine. I think the white pine is more attractive in youth than the red. Red pine has longer needles, two to a bundle, than white pine. The large red pines bracketing the Craftsman style house on 4th street across from the Old Rittenhouse Inn were probably planted when the house was new, so are about 100 years old. The young red pine pictured is along Hwy 13 near the Onion River.
Once, when I was in graduate school and we were newlyweds, my wife and I were traveling in northern Wisconsin, and she kept pointing out red pines and white pines, at sixty miles an hour. I asked her how she could tell which was which at considerable speed and distance, to which she replied, “The white pines look happy, and the red pines look sad.” So much for science.
Erick and I are going to the ice caves this afternoon and I will report tomorrow.
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