It never stops amazing me how nature can create so much beauty with even the simplest things. This afternoon when I got home from the office I glanced out into the yard while unloading my bag, and happened to notice this pine cone on a branch from the pine tree in my yard. We had a lot of wind this weekend, especially on Saturday, and it must have blown the branch down. The sun was just in the right position to highlight the cone. When I got closer to it, I just loved the contrast between the textured, scale-like bark on the branch (it’s a longleaf pine, known for it’s scaly, fire resistant bark) and the scales on the cone itself.