Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker - Pine Tree Fairy

A tall, tall tree is the Pine tree,
With its trunk of bright red-brown-
The red of the merry squirrels
Who go scampering up and down.

There are cones on the tall, tall Pine tree,
With its needles sharp and green;
Small seeds in the cones are hidden,
And they ripen there unseen.

The elves play games with the squirrels
At the top of the tall, tall tree,
Throwing cones for the squirrels to nibble-
I wish I were there to see!

There are over 120 types of pines.  The greatest concentration grow in the Mexican highlands, southern USA and China.  Pines are one of the world's most important forest trees - providing lumber for construction and paper pulp.  In the past their aromatic resins (pitch) and turpentine had many uses but these have been largly replaced by petroleum products.  The seeds (pine nuts)  of several types are important food. The bark of pines has become widely used for growing medium and as a mulch.