Quaking Aspen- Tree Talk Tuesday

by Brianarowens, posted in Rocky Mountain National Park, Tree Talk Tuesday

Most recognized for its smooth white-gray bark, and well known for the bright yellow fall color, the Quaking Aspen is a sight to see! The tree’s natural range is on of the widest of all trees in North America. Frequently growing at elevation above 5,000 feet.

  • Scientific Name: Populus tremuloides
  • Family: Salicaceae (Willow)
  • Common Names: trembling aspen, aspen,
  • Height: 40-70 feet tall a canopy spread of 20-30’
  • Bark: smooth, white to greenish-white, yellowish gray, gray, or white with gray markings. Aged trees may have rough, furrowed bark that is dark gray in color.

Notice the scientific name tremuloides… it comes from the word tremble, which leads to the common name of Quaking Aspen. Why? When the wind blows through the canopy of an Aspen tree, the leaves appear to be shaking, or trembling, or quaking. The sound the trees make in the wind is unique.

A wide variety of mammals depend on the Aspen for survival. Animals such as deer and elk eat the leaves, rabbits and hares eat fallen leaves. Beavers use the trees for food and building materials. Grouse eat the buds, even butterflies and birds live off of the Aspen tree.

Quaking Aspen – Ouray Colorado – A few weeks before fall color arrived

Fun fact: Aspen trees, though small diameter in size, are actually one of the world largest living organisms. A single tree sends out lateral roots, and new shoots sprout up from those lateral roots. So technically, all the trees in a grove of aspens are connected as one organism sharing the same root system. The largest grove is the Pando Grove in Utah, it covers 160 acres, and has approximately 40,000 trees.

Left of center, a small little grove of Aspen trees showing yellow fall color
Rocky Mountain National Park

“Quaking aspen is America’s liveliest tree. With just the slightest breeze, its round leaves tremble almost incessantly, like thousands of butterfly wings.

Watch the twinkling of just one leaf. the stem, from one and one-half to three inches long, is flat and turned at right angles with the leaf. This unique leaf stem allows the leaves of the aspen to quake.”

fs.usda.gov
Hugging an Aspen tree wishing it was my niece, her name is Aspen.
(living away from family can be hard!)

To date, the Quaking Aspen appears in 123 Rocky Mountain, 123 Grand Canyon, and ABC Yellowstone. Check them out!

As always- get out there and explore- go on adventures and make memories!!