To further 'study' the bright pine needle phenomenon from http://twitpic.com/444h2u here's a close-up almost at a 180° phase angle - could sunlight reflecting off the needle surfaces be a dominant factor? In any case a backlit pine is a 'whiter' green than a side- or frontlit one.

To further 'study' the bright pine needle phenomenon from http://twitpic.com/444h2u here's a close-up almost at a 180° phase angle - could sunlight reflecting off the needle surfaces be a dominant factor? In any case a backlit pine is a 'whiter' green than a side- or frontlit one.