Turkish Pine in the White Mountains of Crete

June 09, 2012

White Mounts -Gigilos  (2)

Photographer: Vagelis Diamantakis
Summary Author: Kotsaftis Xristos; Jim Foster

The photo above shows an old, twisted Turkish pine (Pinus brutia) on the Greek island of Crete. It was taken in the White Mountains (Lefka Ori), at an elevation of 6,827 ft (2,081 m), not far from the summit of Gigilos, on August 15, 2010. This withered specimen is long past its prime. Turkish pines typically grow upwards of 70 ft (21 m) tall and have rather thick trunks, occasionally over 3 ft (1 m) in diameter. Native to the eastern Mediterranean region, Turkish pines are sometimes grown for timber. In recent years, these hardy pines have been planted as ornamentals in parks and backyards of areas subject to drought and extreme heat. 

Photo details: Camera Maker: Canon; Camera Model: Canon EOS 450D; Focal Length: 32.0mm; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125); ISO equiv: 100; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: Landscape Mode; White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Color Space: sRGB; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows.