Our pine trees are loaded with growing pinecones. They are still greenish and the scales are still closed up.
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The birds and wildlife seem think they are delicious if they fall to the ground. I have seen the center stalk of the pine cone with all the scales devoured.
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It’s fun to have reference photos of the difference stages of the pinecones growth. The basic shape remains the same. I probably would not paint the pine cones with the scales closed up, but I would definitely use these reference photos for composition and the lighting.
If you want to use my reference photos, feel free to with proper credit please 🙂