Nature’s notes: Grand natural Christmas trees grace Corridor

This December's frigid, fluffy snow created a perfect natural Christmas tree scene in the Corridor. Hundreds of stately urban and suburban spruces were snow dusted, bringing visions of Yule and the north woods to neighborhoods.

No spruces are native to the Corridor but many species have been planted and thrive here. Most common is the Norway spruce. As its name implies it is a European native that ranges from Norway east to the Ural Mountains and south to Italy. A rapid grower that thrives in a variety of soil types, it is relatively pest free and has been planted in cooler regions throughout the world.

Norway spruce is the most common evergreen used for Christmas trees in Europe. The massive Holiday Tree in New York City's Rockefeller Center is usually a locally grown Norway spruce.

Unlike many foreign plants, Norway spruce is not highly invasive. It has spread to the wild in a few places but generally does not compete with native vegetation.

Identification is easy. Norway spruces have deep green needles and grow taller than any other spruce common in Iowa neighborhoods. Other spruce species sport horizontal branches or ones pointing slightly upward. Not Norway spruce. Its branches droop downward, form a graceful arc, and then curl upward toward the tip. They also produce larger cones than other common species.

Anyone considering planting a Norway spruce should remember that this tree gets big and tall. It won't fit in a small yard and should never be planted under power lines.

A Norway spruce is always attractive but is particularly beautiful in winter's depth with a light frosting of snow and alive with chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice seeking shelter from winter's cold and wind.

l Marion Patterson is a retired educator. Rich Patterson is the former executive director of Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids.