Wondrous Wednesday

I spent part of last weekend at a women's retreat in east Texas.  That area is known for its towering pine trees.  I was walking in the woods, listening to the wind in the trees, and wishing there could be an audio Wondrous Wednesday when I saw this little guy.

As I started pondering the complexity of the pine cone, I wondered how anyone could really believe that we are all here by accident.  It was what I learned after I got home, that solidified that impression.  Did you know (from Pineconesplus.com)?

• Pine cones are the reproductive parts of pine trees
• There are both male and female pine cones
• Male pine cones are soft and small.
• Female cones are the ones we generally associate with pine cones.
• Female pine cone start out soft, green and sticky. They grow into the hard brown cones to protect the seeds after they are fertilized.
• The female cones grow for a few years while the seeds mature, then they open up to let the wind distribute the seeds.
• Pine cones that you find on the ground are female pine cones that have completed their reproductive process.

Oh Lord, how wondrous are your ways...