"Ponderosa Pines Smell Just like vanilla!"
How to tell if a tree is a ponderosa pine or not
No, this isn't a joke. Though I certainly thought it was when I first heard it. It was 2010, and I had just finished my sophomore year of high school. My dad, grandpa and I were all hiking the Subway in Zion that June, and it would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It was early on a Saturday, around 6 AM, and we had just started out from the Wildcat Trailhead. The sun had not quite poked its head above the horizon, and in the cool, faint light we trudged on into the wilderness. Our guide, and friend of my grandpa's, was a man named Eric, who had spent most of his life in the Park Service and knew that park like the back of his hand. He was also a prankster, (and legally blind, which is another story).
As we continued down the trail, the crustiness of sleep still in our eyes, Eric points to a small patch of flowers next to the trail.
"See those, " he said, "they're called White Bytrailia."
Not giving it any extra thought, we nodded and said, "Wow, that's cool."
"Yes," Eric replied with a chuckle. "Because, they are white, beside the trail, and beside you!!!"
We all rolled our eyes. "It's too damn early for that Eric!"
So, we continued on, and after a moment we came to a large Ponderosa Pine next to the trail. And Eric turned to us again, with a smile on his face, "If you smell the bark it smells just like vanilla or butterscotch."
We looked at him skeptically, "Sure Eric." I mean, prank flowers? Now Candy Trees? What's next? Rubbish.
So we each walked up to the pine, and stuck our noses into the furrows, and by God, it did smell just like vanilla! I smelled it again just to be sure, and now ever since then I tell people to do the same. I gotta tell ya, I have never craved cream soda more than after a jaunt through a Ponderosa Grove!
Ponderosas are widespread pine out in the West, and are very characteristic of the southwest. Also known as the Western Yellow Pine because of its yellow sap, it is much easily distinguished in more arid areas, as trees on the coast need a botanist's eye to distinguish. They typically grow tall (around 230 feet or so), and have cinnamon brown or reddish bark with deep furrows. Their needles are long, and give the tree an almost fluffy appearance. They can also grow to be quite old. The aroma is a dead give away, so if you are not sure if it is a Ponderosa, sniff the furrows on the bark. If they smell like a cream soda or butterscotch, then you know! This is a great trick that works, and is a little kernel of knowledge you can show off to your buddies!
As we continued down the trail, the crustiness of sleep still in our eyes, Eric points to a small patch of flowers next to the trail.
"See those, " he said, "they're called White Bytrailia."
Not giving it any extra thought, we nodded and said, "Wow, that's cool."
"Yes," Eric replied with a chuckle. "Because, they are white, beside the trail, and beside you!!!"
We all rolled our eyes. "It's too damn early for that Eric!"
So, we continued on, and after a moment we came to a large Ponderosa Pine next to the trail. And Eric turned to us again, with a smile on his face, "If you smell the bark it smells just like vanilla or butterscotch."
We looked at him skeptically, "Sure Eric." I mean, prank flowers? Now Candy Trees? What's next? Rubbish.
So we each walked up to the pine, and stuck our noses into the furrows, and by God, it did smell just like vanilla! I smelled it again just to be sure, and now ever since then I tell people to do the same. I gotta tell ya, I have never craved cream soda more than after a jaunt through a Ponderosa Grove!
Ponderosas are widespread pine out in the West, and are very characteristic of the southwest. Also known as the Western Yellow Pine because of its yellow sap, it is much easily distinguished in more arid areas, as trees on the coast need a botanist's eye to distinguish. They typically grow tall (around 230 feet or so), and have cinnamon brown or reddish bark with deep furrows. Their needles are long, and give the tree an almost fluffy appearance. They can also grow to be quite old. The aroma is a dead give away, so if you are not sure if it is a Ponderosa, sniff the furrows on the bark. If they smell like a cream soda or butterscotch, then you know! This is a great trick that works, and is a little kernel of knowledge you can show off to your buddies!