Three years to make and spread seeds

Did you know it takes three years for pines to make and spread seeds? In the spring of the first year, the male and female inflorescences flower. The budding pine cones (the female flowers) grow once they are fertilised by pollen from the male flowers. For the whole of the second year the young cones are green and tightly closed. They mature and turn brown only in the third year, but do not split open and release their seeds until the following winter. There can be three years of pine cones growing on the same branch.