The Secret of the Quaking Aspen

On the other side of my mountain, 

Nature has planted Groves of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Quaking Aspen in Summer

These beautiful trees stand tall and straight

on slender trunks of powdery white.

Photo by Jeff Mitton (since I couldn't find an up-close shot of my own)

Their leaves tremble at the slightest breeze 

and seem to whisper a melody of peace and calm.

Seriously, if you've ever stood in a grove of Aspen,
you would know this to be true...
the sound is nothing short of divine.

Quakies in their Autumn Glory

 As Autumn approaches, these small near-heart-shaped leaves

turn vibrant shades of yellow and gold and orange.
 
Come take a Sunday drive with me,
and I'll share the secret 
the Aspen Groves hold so dear.

Driving the Alpine Loop

Many people may not realize 

that Aspen trees are actually 
one of the earth’s largest living organisms. 

Hundreds or even thousands of Quaking Aspens 
can be joined underground 
by a single root network.

  

The Aspen sends out underground shoots 
that re-emerge elsewhere as new trunks.
This aggregate of roots 
is called a "clone".

The Backside of my Mountain

Some Quaking Aspen groves 
have been measured to be 200 acres wide.

Many in the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin regions
are at least 8000 years old 
persisting since the last glacial retreat.

 

Aspen trees within the same clone 

unmask their colors at the same time in Autumn 

making it easy to determine 

where a clone ends and where it begins.

In fact, the trees within each clone are identical 

and can be distinguished from those of a neighboring clone 

by a variety of traits such as leaf shape and size, bark character, 
branching habit, resistance to disease and insect attack 

and autumn leaf color.

How many distinct clones do you see in this view?

(Some have already changed their colors... others have not.)

It is fascinating to discover that the massive root network 

of the Aspen clone is of great benefit to their survival. 

A forest fire may completely destroy a grove of Aspen trees,

but the underground root network will soon spring to life 

creating new shoots to emerge as trunks 

replenishing the Aspen Grove.

Remarkable.

Simply remarkable.


What life lessons can we learn from the Quaking Aspen?

I have a few ideas of my own 
but would love my readers to share.