"Sweet are the uses of adversity"
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When William Shakespeare wrote these words,
these Bristlecone Pines were already over 1,000 years old.
The short, dry growing season and nutrient-poor soil of the
White Mountians causes these trees to
produce very small amounts of extremely dense and resinous wood.
This wood resists insects and animal pests, infection, heart rot and fire.
The ability to use adversity to its advantage allowed
bristlecones to evolve into a living monument of time.
- - from trail sign at Schulman Grove, Inyo National Forest
© Vivian McAleavey, Nature Photographer and Filmmaker and Filmmaker