Interestingly, in this photo you can see this year’s female cone still forming and next year’s male cone starting to form at the same time. The unpollinated female cone of a conifer is called an ovulate cone and it is very inconspicuous on an incense-cedar tree. So, I’m not sure if it is starting to form now as well.
The female cone will turn brown, open up to release its seeds, and drop to the ground around the beginning of October (Incense-cedar Cones, October 12, 2020). The male cones will mature and release their pollen in the winter, usually in January (Incense-cedar Pollen, January 11, 2021).
The male catkins of the hazelnut trees are forming at the moment too while the nuts are still maturing. This tree also releases its pollen in the winter. (Hazelnuts & Catkins, July 22, 2021).
