Attack of the Killer Pine Cones

[ysabetwordsmith]

Everything is bigger in Australia.  In this case, 20-pound pinecones falling from on high can injure or kill people underneath.

Who else is thinking it would be fun to drop one on the Spectrum?  Because obviously they're not going to mind the signs.  :D

Comments

[fred_mouse]

The leaves are also vicious; they are one of the things I won't walk barefoot over.

[whuffle]

Off topic but I know that you will be as excited to see this article as I am. Do please signal boost it. I have a link to it posted on my journal already!

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royopensci/3/1/150645.full.pdf

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Link boosted.

[stardreamer]

Interesting article. Kudos to the author for telling me that I don't want to bother picking up any of his books, too.

[lone_cat]

Does it grow in the part of Australia they're in?

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I don't know and would have to check. However, it is likely they will be traveling.

Re: Hmm...

[moonvoice]

It naturally only grows in two relatively small regions (in the subtropical regions of the east coast), but Araucaria bidwillii (bunya pine - not actually a pine, and a living fossil) is also found in botanical gardens and similar (and some farms etc.) in NSW and WA, and their survival is mildly threatened by feral red deer, that stop seed dispersal (their general seed dispersant is a possum).

(I have picked up random things over the years lol).

(You can also use it to make gluten free flour/porridge/pesto/hummus!)

(Also, they don't produce those big cones every year. They have like 2/3 dormant-ish years where they make not many, and then a big bumper year of a ton of seed-cones (which was thought to be pretty amazing for local Indigenous folks back in the day as a food source). Thankfully, if you're not actually *under* the tree itself, you're not likely to get hit. They're too heavy to be blown around. And the sound of them falling tends to be broadcast by loud bangs/clattering as they hit like...all the branches on the way down, lol (mature cone producing bunya are tall). So farmers that have them on their property etc. are able to run out from under the canopy before they're hit.)

*wanders off*

[rix_scaedu]

I just skimmed through a permaculture site that was suggesting mass plantings on the periphery of towns to use as a food source and sending out the harvesters in helmets. :)

http://permaculturenews.org/2013/11/27/the-bunya-bunya-pine-araucaria-bidwillii/

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Now I'm picturing something similar on Traipah, that seeds more often, being used as a defensive measure around villages/towns. Can't tear down the precious plants and ecosystems to build a city wall, so build a wall of these massive... AHA! I've not yet figured out what the Ironwood Trees of Traipah look like, and now I have this notion of these 50 foot tall, bright red trees planted so close together they've grown into this massive wall of wood as hard as steel with no gaps between them (except at the gates), and they have these enormous seeds tipped with massive long blades so they can penetrate the soil; the branches spread out about 30 feet or more from the trunks, trained to grow out rather than in, leaving a 30 foot radius where the only safe place to walk is this strip that can be pulled apart with ropes and pulleys. Try getting into the village without permission, and you risk being cut in half lengthwise by these massive Ironwood seeds. *EVIL LAUGHTER*

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

That is awesome.

In fact, one way of deerproofing large yards is to plant a dense fence of thorny, edible trees/shrubs. The deer tend to nibble along the outside and then move on, rather than try to force their way inside.

Re: Yes...

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Cool.

[fayanora.livejournal.com]

Ah, Australia. This kind of thing is why Australia was - and remains to this day - the primary inspiration for Traipah. Like Australia, everything on Traipah wants to kill you, even the trees; and not just the carnivorous trees, either.

*laugh*

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've used Australia as inspiration for settings too. Jungle, desert, and tundra will also try to kill you, although the former is lifeform aggression while the latter two are more environmental. Australia? The sky and everything under it want to kill you.

Re: *laugh*

[rix_scaedu]

It does help if you don't put your fingers into unknown holes and crevices. :)

Also, do not annoy the pretty, blue ringed octopi you might find in seaside rock pools.

Re: *laugh*

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, those will definitely kill you. Very potent neurotoxin.

RE: Re: *laugh*

[rix_scaedu]

And the angrier they were, the brighter the rings.

Re: Re: *laugh*

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I did not know that. However, it makes sense, given that cephalopods can change their colors. If you ignore the warning sign it starts flashing at you.

Warning: venomous.

WARNING-WARNING-WARNING Do not piss off deadly octopus!

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

seanan_mcguire would love this thing. (She probably already knows about it... :)

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Pass the word. More than one writer can use the same thing!