Montane, subalpine, alpine. Woodlands. Spring.
Trail along Bridal Veil Creek above Telluride, July 23, 2009.
Madden Peak, June 23, 2004.

At the limits of tree growth (around 11,500 feet in the Four Corners area) trees are compressed and distorted by wind, short growing season, intense sun, and snow pack.  These forces shape trees into krummholz (German for "crooked woods": the dwarfed, compact, crooked trees that appear to be shrubs in both photos) and into the slightly taller ten-to-fifteen foot tall krummholz wind-blown "banner trees" (trees with no limbs on the wind side: the trees at the left of the second photo). Krummholz provides a haven for flora and fauna that cannot thrive in the nearby intensity. Krummholz is also a haven for humans wanting to picnic out of the wind.

Click to see Picea engelmannii in winter.