Mike Curran is a self-proclaimed cone head; not the bald-pated kind that descended from outer space to voraciously eat and drink their way through reams of Saturday Night Live sketches.

Mike’s cones are the earthly variety that come with roots, trunks, branches and needles or scales. His fascination with the shrubs and trees most of us refer to as evergreens has led him to become one of the go-to experts on conifers in this part of the country and the owner of Timberwinds Nursery in Ellisville.