If you see a young pine growing in the dim understory, it’s not likely to be one of our iconic pitch pines — Pinus rigida, a pioneer species, is intolerant of shade. A juvenile Eastern white pine, Pinus strobus, though, can thrive in the low light, sometimes growing in such close proximity to a mature tree in the pitch pine-oak forest that it seems swaddled — protected from wind and passersby by a mother from another species. The pictured Eastern white pine, seen at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, is coming of age in the shadow of its sun-loving cousin and is differentiated by a straight, smooth leader and bluer, more delicate needles.
