Transitions – Colorado

Transitions – Front Range, Colorado

Straddling the transition between seasons, a cluster of autumn aspens stands firm before winter’s first snow. Unlike most trees which grow from seeds, new aspens tend to grow as clones from a spreading root systems in a process called suckering. This makes clusters of aspens genetically identical and can be considered a single organism. While clones tend to turn color about the same time, there are still environmental factors which make each tree unique. The pictured stand of aspens, growing in Colorado’s Front Range, flourish at the foot of a mountainside of spruce and fir. This particular year, these aspens kept their leaves and color well into the spreading white of winter.