Aspen Stand, Uncompahgre National Forest

In aspen, what we think of as individual trees are often part of a colony, making them technically the same organism. Slight genetic variations are therefore exhibited in all of the trees in a stand. In this case, the outer bark is slightly more transparent, allowing more sunlight to reach the chlorophyll in the bark while giving the trunks a greenish hue. In the background, another colony exhibits the whiter bark we usually associate with aspen.

Terms: Aspens, CO - San Miguel County, Colorado, GMUG National Forests, National Forest, Public Lands, Uncompahgre National Forest

Image Dimensions: 7420 x 4947

Location Georeference: 37.9886, -107.9508