Perseverance – Colorado

Perseverance – Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

A splash of late autumn color perseveres amidst early winter’s first snow. The graceful branches and effervescent leaves of aspens belie trees that are hardy and well adapted to long winters in the mountains. Their adaptations include root systems can produce suckers that sprout new trees without the need to germinate seeds. This allows aspens to propagate even during the short growing seasons. Their petioles, or leaf stems, are flat and perpendicular to the leaves which allows them to flutter or quake in the wind. In this way, aspen leaves can shed wind and snow, reducing stress on the branches and trunk. Even their photosynthetic bark is covered with a white powder that protects them from the intense ultraviolet light at altitude. The powder can be used as sunscreen, in a pinch. These mechanisms help aspens flourish where few other trees can.