| There's more than one way to predict the weather. Anyone wary of their local news forecast can try something much simpler if they'd like to know whether or not it's about to rain: Simply take a peek at some pine cones, which close in response to moisture in the air. They do this for the same reason they do everything else: to disperse their seeds as widely and effectively as possible, as pine cones are a means of reproduction for some trees. There are both male and female cones, and most of the ones we see are the latter — they produce seeds, whereas males produce the pollen that fertilizes female cones. Dry conditions are more conducive to speed dispersal, while dampness, well, dampens. Pine cone scales have several layers. If water drops make contact with the upper layer when the cone is open, the water then slides into the inner layer and causes it to expand. Once the scales begin to bend upward, they eventually curl shut. Then when the air becomes drier and the water inside the cone evaporates, the scales open up again. Pine cone seeds are designed to travel on the wind and can reach a distance of several hundred feet from their parent tree when conditions are ideal — which is to say, dry. | 
