Another nature macro shot for my second post today, but this time a bit more abstract. This is a very close up shot of a sitka spruce pine cone. I spent two or three days wandering about in the woods and probably took hundreds of pictures before I managed to get a picture I was happy with. I think it could still be sharper, but I basically hit a limit with the type of lens I have so this will do!

Sitka pine (Picea Sitchensis) isn’t native to Scotland but it is found all over the place, having been introduced in the 1900s as a source of timber. There are plenty in the local woods and I always have a bag of pine needles in the house for making tea. It has a mild flavour, a lot like that beautiful smell you get in pine forests but less sharp. Pine needles contain alpha pinene, a terpenoid which has anti-anxiety and sedative effects (I’m not making that up, there’s real science to it!) so it’s good before bed. If I’m struggling to sleep some chamomile and pine tea is guaranteed to pretty much knock me out cold. It’s also high in vitamin C and antioxidants, so you can’t go wrong really.

Thanks for visiting,

Kaylin x