There were little wood trees to color, popsicle stick reindeer ornaments, a paper plate wreath, and pine cone Christmas trees. These trees are so easy, and there are so many ways to make them.

Another time, she came back from a trip to the Eastern Sierra with a bag of fresh pinon cones, Pinus monophylla, one of several Western-state species that produce edible pine nuts. My challenge ...

Pine cones are pretty smart for things with no brains ... The research is described in a paper that was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Readers should take note, though ...