true blue

how great is the color of this blue spruce?  i have no idea what makes the blue spruce look more or less blue. wiki refers to “waxy gray-green leaves”, so perhaps it has to do the amount of waxiness. whatever it is, i seemed to have caught this one at peak bluishness–perhaps before the waxiness has been reduced by wind and rain.

blue spruce branch tip (Picea pungens)