Why Are We Seeing Pink Pinecones in New Hampshire?

Last year you might remember we had a straight up pinecone epidemic here in New Hampshire in the Spring. They were EVERYWHERE! I'm talking THOUSANDS!

I remember seeing my neighbor out for at least four hours with a leaf blower, herding thousands of pinecones to the chipper. It took him two refills of the tank to be done, and I peeked over at his lawn this morning, THERE WERE MORE!

This Spring we are seeing less pinecones than in years past but I've been noticing something I've never seen before; pink pinecones!

A member of the U Local New Hampshire Facebook page who lives in New Boston shared these photos with the caption "Our pine we got last year looks soo cute, I have never seen a pink pine cones before"

How cool is that?! The post blew up with tons of reactions and comments. One gal said that you should forage pinecones when they are pink. Apparently they are edible and quite good! Young, tender cones of certain species (like some spruces and pines) have been used in syrups, jellies, teas, or infusions. However, proper identification is crucial because not all cones are safe to eat. So don't be going out and taking a bite of any old pinecone in your yard.

What makes a pinecone appear pink in color?

Some pinecones appear pink because they are immature or newly forming cones.

Apparently this is because young female cones (did you know pinecones have genders?) often start off in shades of red, pink, or purple before turning brown as they mature.

If you want to see pink pinecones locally, there is rumored to be some trees sporting them right now on Pierce Island in Portsmouth!

Have you spotted any pink pinecones in New Hampshire this year? Shoot me a pic on Instagram, I'd love to see!