Spruce buds

Hi Elke think Treesandthings may have a pic on a recent blog he wrote of a similar specimen ..hope that helps Bluespruce also quite the expert on these .

Thanks Bonkersbon. Actually I feel doubly stupid - just asked my resident tree specialist and he says it's a red spruce. Second, it's Nova Scotia's provincial tree.... Toto will no doubt go to town on my ignorance and give us all a smile :) I've posted a photo of the full tree.

Aw Elke dont worry its clearly not a blue spruce is it .. you knew it was a spruce that was red so you dont need to feel doubly stupid .

Sorry but cant help you not knowing it grows all over Nova Scotia .. lol

As for Toto hes probably in his shed with his bugs I worry about him think he could be developing all sorts of mutants in there .

As long as they can't swim across the Atlantic, I don't have to worry. Didn't know he had a penchant for bugs... Chocolate-coated ones are reportedly quite popular at the Insectarium in Montreal. They usually have a bug dining day once a year.
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/insectarium/en/index.php
Mind you, anything with chocolate is OK with me...

Wow Elke are you familiar with Davids blogs about his chocolate garden ?

Now if he was to have aphids they would have to be chocolate coated ..

If you have time do check out Totos bug pics they really are superb .

I'm not in my shed at the moment Bonkers but was earlier and I can announce that I became a father today. My first wasp hatched and I managed to get a pic of him. As for being able to critcise you Elke, you've got it all wrong. I could learn a lot from you and do. Infact I have learnt so much already from the members of GOY.
Thank you so much for your compliment Bonkers, it's much appreciated even if underserved. Your excellent pics of you garden and the wildlife that visits it are a real joy.

So do we all get a cigar? I thought you were about to say it stung you.... Thank goodness it didn't. Yes, this site is a gold mine, isn't it?

Without a doubt. As for a sting or two, it's worth it to see and record they progress the queen wasp has made. I've photographed her since she started to make her nest. I don't think the queen has a sting but her offspring will have.

Hi Elke,

Lovely photo! I am a biology PhD student at UNB in Fredericton. One of the students in my lab is working on the insect community on red spruce, so I am trying to include a photo of red spruce on our web page, which is under construction. Could we have your permission to use your red spruce image, please? It would be perfect. You can contact me at chandra[dot]moffat[at]unb[dot]ca
Thanks very much!