Ancient bristlecone pine trees at night, Pinus longaeva, #28533

Ancient bristlecone pine trees at night, under a clear night sky full of stars, lit by a full moon, near Patriarch Grove. White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California, USA

This image is featured in: Natural History Photography - Best Images of 2013, Ancient Bristlecone Pines, Full Moon and Starry Night, Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees, Pinus longaeva, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest

Species: Bristlecone Pine, Pinus longaeva
Location: White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California
Image ID: 28533
Hi-Res Dimensions: 5144 x 11788
Format: Digital 2.29:1
Notable: The ancient bristlecone pine tree is considered to be the worlds oldest species of tree (and indeed the world's oldest sexually reproducing, nonclonal lifeform). A number of individual bristlecone pine trees are known to exceed 4000 years of age; the "Methuselah tree" in the Schulman grove was estimated to be 4838 years old in 2006. These extraordinarily hardy, gnarled and lonely trees are best seen in the White Mountains of California, where two exemplary groves (Schulman and Patriarch) can be accessed by car.