Douglas Fir Blossoms

When I was walking in the canyon this week, I noticed reddish tips on the branches of a number of Douglas fir trees. At first I thought it was an insect infestation—spruce budworm perhaps. But when I got close enough to remove part of a branch, I realized that they were cone blossoms. That is probably the wrong word, but out of the tiny buds were emerging bright red blossoms that will eventually make cones.