How did the incredible ice storm affect the Blue Spruce and Redcedar trees here at Haphazard Homestead? Come into my post and see!
Here's the first post on the Great Willamette Valley Ice Storm of 2016. And the second post looked at my Icy Sequoia and Larch Trees. I'll be showing how the ice affected other trees in future photosets, too, including River Birch, Douglas-fir, Eastern White Pine, and more.
Blue Spruce
I think the ice looks pretty on individual branches of my tall Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens). Those branches held onto a lot of freezing rain - that turned into a thick coating of ice. You can tell the freezing was fast, by the air bubbles in the icicles.
But as the ice adds up, across larger branches, the burden on the tree becomes more clear.
I was really impressed with the strength of the Blue Spruce! The branches didn't have any trouble holding up to all that weight. They didn't even droop much. You can tell the branches aren't drooping, because the icicles point straight down. The branches didn't change their angle of hanging from the tree - not at all!
Western Redcedar
I was really surprised at the amount of ice that clung to the branches of my Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata). These branches are like a fan, rather than the short, pointy needles of the spruce.
Western Redcedar isn't really a cedar, but an Arborvitae. It's related to the Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) of the Great Lakes and New England regions of the US and southern Canada, also known as the Northern Whitecedar. That species is a common landscaping ornamental, too -- that often gets devastated in ice storms.
But the shape of the Western Redcedar can handle the ice much better! The branches have a downward slope that holds the weight of the ice really well. Look how so much ice accmulated on these branches! That is a solid sheet of ice!
Have you seen trees affected by an ice storm? Have you had trees in your yard affected by ice?
Here's the first post on the Great Willamette Valley Ice Storm of 2016. And the second post looked at my Icy Sequoia and Larch Trees. I'll be showing how the ice affected other trees in future photosets, too, including River Birch, Douglas-fir, Eastern White Pine, and more.
Follow me to see more ice storm photosets, including the effect on other kinds of trees and plants, and more!
Haphazard Homestead
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*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***