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... And More Trees

Writer's picture: Denise DethlefsenDenise Dethlefsen

I had to cull so many images from my last post that I decided to continue the story of trees this month, especially since I hadn't gotten to comment on the differences between aspens (Populus tremuloides) we often see in Colorado in comparison to some we found in Utah.

Photo of a hillside covered with aspen trees in fall colors interspersed with evergreens, Colorado
Each aspen grove has its own genetically dominant color, as seen on this Colorado hillside

While we visited the La Sal Mountains of eastern Utah last fall, I was pleased to see the absolutely enormous aspens at the higher elevations. We found they're much bigger in

Photo of two very large aspen trunks found in eastern Utah
Two examples of huge Utah aspens

diameter and taller than most I've seen recently in Colorado. The trunks of the two pictured here were easily 18 to 24 inches across, and those trees reached close to the 50-foot height that's just about the maximum for this species (the tree seen in the image below is the upper portion of the larger trunk seen in the photo at left). In Colorado, I'm more used to seeing 3- to 12-inch trunks and heights not much above 30 feet, and although I'm sure the Colorado

Photo of the upper half of a very large aspen tree found in eastern Utah
Upper portion of an ultra-large aspen tree



aspens can give Utah aspens a run for their money in the right circumstances, these Utah monsters certainly won the award for "Big" this time. Too many of our local groves are experiencing Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD) due to drought, insect infestations, and whatever else is ailing them, so we're seeing far too many groves with sickly, and very small trees. The forest in the top image, while thick, is made up of thousands of very small to medium-sized aspens with none that came anywhere near matching these we found in Utah.

Photo of a few small, colorful aspen trees in front of a Ponderosa pine forest along a mountain road in Colorado
Colorful aspens contrast with a forest of Ponderosa pines

Trees of all species, sizes, and states of health are important food sources for insects, birds and wildlife. There's not much I like better than to sit quietly in a forested area, breathing in the aroma of pines and listening to the birds as they go about their business in the branches. It's always disappointing when we find ourselves in a place with few to no birds; that always makes me wonder about the health of the forest, or how much encroachment there is by humans in the area. Even dead trees provide a buffet of good food for birds such as flickers, woodpeckers, and nuthatches that work the wood for insects and their larvae. The tree below had evidently been a food source that kept some small

Photo of a dead tree trunk with hundreds of holes drilled by birds in search of food.
A buffet tree, with plenty of evidence that it's a food source

creatures very happy. However, I haven't been able to decide if the distinctive pattern of slightly spiraling holes was the result of birds chasing wood boring insects or their larvae around the trunk, or if they're the exit holes of the insects themselves. The neat patterns and sheer quantity inclines me toward the former theory. I didn't see any acorns in the holes to indicate it was being used as a granary tree by acorn woodpeckers. Besides the holes, this tree bears ample evidence that its final years were pretty tough -- the broken-off top and the burn marks at its base brought up the question of a lightning strike. Obviously, some human had cleaned up the fallen portions, but I'd love to hear the story of what occurred to the tree, which was likely a Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). These days, it might be used as a perch for a member of a raptor species, perhaps hawks or falcons, because of its prominence in the open pastures.

Photo of a large juniper tree next to a cliff with a robin perched on a high branch
Large juniper tree on a cliff edge

Trees have a tendency to root in odd places, which adds to their fascination for me, and my desire to photograph them when possible. For example, this huge juniper (most likely a Juniperus scopolorum, Rocky Mountain juniper, which can grow as tall as 65 feet although this one is shorter than that) was perched at the very edge of a cliff dropping to the creek canyon below it, so close that standing next to the tree was literally standing on the edge of a sheer, 100-foot or more drop. As junipers go, this one was luxuriant and healthy (I've never seen a juniper without multiple dead branches!). The size of the trunk also indicates it's hundreds of years old; in fact, a recent study of junipers in the Colorado National Monument and Uncompahgre Plateau found that some junipers in these areas can be 750 to nearly 1,000 years old. While I wish I'd been able to get a photo that included less of the dark farther canyon wall, more sky and fewer clouds, I was happy when the robin decided to perch in the tree top for several seconds.


Another location for trees to find footholds is on large boulders, especially when the boulder

Photo of large boulders in the Cache la Poudre River with young trees growing on them
Young trees growing on boulders in the Cache la Poudre River

is found in or beside running water, as seen in this picture along the Cache la Poudre River in northern Colorado. Obviously these boulders were a great option, since there are at least three trees -- a pine, a willow, and possibly a spruce -- rooted in the cracks. Such trees don't often grow to large sizes; they can succumb to ice, floods and a lack of soil due to the cracks they've rooted in being too small to sustain growth. However, while they're young, they're often pretty photogenic and I'm always on the lookout for them.

Leaves of a pin oak found in Texas in their fall colors on a rainy day
Pin oak leaves on a rainy day

Autumn leaves are always photogenic, and when I find them with a good background, I know they'll enhance someone's wall with attractive color, as with the photo above. Please review my website for this and other images to brighten your home or office walls.


As always, I appreciate feedback and invite you comment on my photography at https://www.denisedethlefsen.com/contact. Or you can Sign Up to Stay Connected on my Home Page to join my mailing list and follow future posts like this about the places we visit while finding additional imagery for my website.

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