ALPINE NATURE CENTER

Rocky Mountain White Fir

  • Home
  • About
    • Volunteer
  • Wildlife
    • Birds >
      • Birds in the Wild >
        • Water Birds
        • Raptors
        • Other Birds
      • Alpine Bird Watchers
      • Aviary
      • Feed the Birds
      • Fat Robins in Spring
      • Two Doves
      • Who's That Knocking?
    • Mammals
    • Reptiles
    • Insects >
      • Insects Identification
      • Tarantula Time!
    • Living with Wildlife
    • Circle of Life
    • Deer Doo
  • Plants
    • Flowers >
      • Blue Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • Red Flowers
      • White Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
    • Trees, Bushes and Brush >
      • Trees, Bushes and Brush ID
      • Acorn Bonanza
      • Box Elder Boys and Girls
      • Rabbit vs Sage
      • Juniper Differences
      • Mountain Mahogany
      • White Fir Trees
    • Grasses
    • Invasive Species
    • Fall Colors
    • It's A Mystery Plant
  • Open Spaces
    • Trails >
      • Trail Maps
      • Alpine Nature Hikes
      • Bonneville Shoreline Trail
      • Miles of Trails
      • Three Mines Trail
      • Water Tour
    • Alpine Mountains >
      • Mountain Panoramas
      • East Mountain Boulders
      • Penumbra
      • Glaciers, Lakes and Earthquakes
    • Stewardship >
      • Fire
      • Stewardship Projects
      • Winter Range Planting
      • Deer Guzzler
    • Arboretum
    • Uses
  • Activities
  • What's in Bloom
  • What's New!
  • Who Knew?
    • In Memory - Judy Bush
    • Invasion of the Box Elder Bugs!
    • Leaves Not Leaving
    • Running Waters
    • Missing in Action?
    • Sunflowers and the Sun
    • Cooper or Sharpie?
    • People
    • Who Knew? Archive - 2
    • Who Knew? Archive - 1

Finding Firs in the fall!

Lambert park is 255 acres of open space in Alpine, Utah. In addition to scrub oak, juniper, willow, chokecherry and wild cherry trees, the park also has a number of white fir trees!  It is hard to find them in the summer, because they are all surrounded by scrub oaks, which almost block them from view. Can you spot two in the picture above?
Rocky Mountain White Fir
White Fir needles
Rocky Mountain White Fir (abies concolor), is native to Utah, and grows in altitudes between 3000 and 11,200 feet. It's needles are flat and blunt-tipped, spreading in two rows and curving upward on twigs. The needles have a bluish cast and have two white lines on the underside.

Compare that to the blue spruce in your backyard. The blue spruce needles are more square shaped and can be rolled between your fingers, The blue spruce also has pointy tipped needles that grow around the twig

If the needles grow in groups of two or more, you're looking at a pine tree!

White Firs in Lambert Park

Picture
Young white fir in Lambert Park
 At one time there were many white firs in Lambert park, especially along the Grove Creek. Residents felt no compunction about cutting them down for Christmas trees.  After a large fire in the 1960's the trees disappeared. Over the last decade they have slowly started to recover. They grow best in grassy areas that hold a little water. Many of the new trees are along Spring, Middle Spring or Rodeo Down trails. They are so small you might miss them. 
Picture
Natural occurring white fir seedling

A very astute person could find dozens of white firs trees in the area south of the rodeo ground. You can also  easily find a small stand of white firs walking up the path from the Bowery to the Rodeo Grounds and keep looking to your left as you go uphill!
Picture
Fir seedling about 3 feet tall
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
    • Volunteer
  • Wildlife
    • Birds >
      • Birds in the Wild >
        • Water Birds
        • Raptors
        • Other Birds
      • Alpine Bird Watchers
      • Aviary
      • Feed the Birds
      • Fat Robins in Spring
      • Two Doves
      • Who's That Knocking?
    • Mammals
    • Reptiles
    • Insects >
      • Insects Identification
      • Tarantula Time!
    • Living with Wildlife
    • Circle of Life
    • Deer Doo
  • Plants
    • Flowers >
      • Blue Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • Red Flowers
      • White Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
    • Trees, Bushes and Brush >
      • Trees, Bushes and Brush ID
      • Acorn Bonanza
      • Box Elder Boys and Girls
      • Rabbit vs Sage
      • Juniper Differences
      • Mountain Mahogany
      • White Fir Trees
    • Grasses
    • Invasive Species
    • Fall Colors
    • It's A Mystery Plant
  • Open Spaces
    • Trails >
      • Trail Maps
      • Alpine Nature Hikes
      • Bonneville Shoreline Trail
      • Miles of Trails
      • Three Mines Trail
      • Water Tour
    • Alpine Mountains >
      • Mountain Panoramas
      • East Mountain Boulders
      • Penumbra
      • Glaciers, Lakes and Earthquakes
    • Stewardship >
      • Fire
      • Stewardship Projects
      • Winter Range Planting
      • Deer Guzzler
    • Arboretum
    • Uses
  • Activities
  • What's in Bloom
  • What's New!
  • Who Knew?
    • In Memory - Judy Bush
    • Invasion of the Box Elder Bugs!
    • Leaves Not Leaving
    • Running Waters
    • Missing in Action?
    • Sunflowers and the Sun
    • Cooper or Sharpie?
    • People
    • Who Knew? Archive - 2
    • Who Knew? Archive - 1