The Gymnosperms were spreading their pollen last week. Like nearly all plants, they fertilize their seeds by pollen moving from the male parts of the flower to the female. In the case of Conifers (a gymnosperm) they have separate male and female “flowers” known as cones.
Several male Hemlock cones. The white specks are individual pollen grains.
Here you can see immature female Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) cones.
Conifers aren’t as evolved as “true” flowering plants (the angiosperms), so they rely on the wind as opposed to a pollinating insect like a honey bee, to get the pollen to the right place. This works just fine, but it means they have to produce copious amounts of pollen to ensure it reaches and fertilizes the female cone. Great for the trees, not so much for the people with allergies.
Male (the smaller ones pointing down) and immature female cones. The male cones will fall off shortly. The female become the typical Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) cones, maturing next spring and falling off the tree after that.
There was so much pollen coming off the Douglas firs during a warm day last week, that my climbing helmet starting to have a golden sheen.
