Stars and the Milky Way rise above ancient bristlecone pine trees

Stars and the Milky Way rise above ancient bristlecone pine trees, in the White Mountains at an elevation of 10,000' above sea level. These are some of the oldest trees in the world, reaching 4000 years in age. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California, USA

Species: Bristlecone Pine, Pinus longaeva
Location: Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, California
Image ID: 27779
Format: Digital 3:2
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.