Aspen Tree

A tree which prefers a cold climate and it loves to attract insects. Trees are like living beings. If we think so, we will never cut trees. 

This is the tree that is commonly known by the names aspen, quaking aspen, European aspen, and common aspen. Populus Tremula is the scientific name. Its origin is native and its family is Salicaceae. This is a white, soft, lightweight but strong tree that is used to make paddles, surgical splints, wagon bottoms, etc. Fungal diseases have become one of the major threats to some species of this tree. Not only that, aspen leaf blight disease, animal browsing and injury, drought and heat, and threats like spider mites also have become threats to this amazing tree. 

Aspen trees grow up to 20to 80 feet in height and 3 to 18 inches in diameter while diamond-shaped pores are pitted in the grey bark of the lichen-covered tree. The bark takes yellowish-white, yellowish-grey greenish-white, or grey to white colors. When they grow up with time, the bark becomes rough. 

The leaves of this plant are round and large with blunt teeth. The diameter is around 1 ½ to 3 inches of these leaves. But the leaves of young aspens are about 7 to 8 inches. Copper is the first color of the leaf and then it takes green color. After that, the leaf becomes yellow or red in autumn. Flowers of aspen trees bloom in March and April and they are of two types, female catkins and male catkins (flowers). It produces fluffy seeds in summer. This tall, strong tree consumes approximately 150 years of lifetime. Aspens grow well in moisturized soil and where the sunlight is less. 

These aspen trees grow in winter too. Anyone will be attracted to its beauty in autumn. Do you know why? That is because of its leaf color in autumn. It turns yellow. Even the aspens’ leaves take different colors in different seasons, yellow color is the most attractive color which they take. Can you imagine a thin, tall tree whose upper part is covered with yellow leaves? How it can be an eye-catching sight when a larger number of trees are in lines with yellow colors. Won’t the scenery be more attractive when the sky adds dark blue color plus white color with the fluffy clouds? 

Height of the aspen trees makes them unique. You will have to look up to see its top. In an area with a larger number of aspen trees available, the sight will bring you to another world. The fresh, morning sun rays that kiss the ground pass these tall stems of aspens. It can create such a fabulous view.  The calm environment can persuade you to visit it again. Most of the times where the aspen trees are grown, can you find any other variety of trees grown among them? No. That’s how you feel you are in an aspen forest. 

Ancient people placed aspen crowns in burial mounds to give the spirit the strength and power to be reborn. That’s a mythology that ancient people believed. They considered the aspen tree as a tree of heroes. So, they believed that wearing a crown made of trembling leaves of this tree would give them the protection to go to the underworld and come back safely. I’ve got to know about such folklore which most of the old people believed. It is said to plant aspens near to a dwelling because of the mythical belief of getting protection from this

tree. Many have used aspens to protect their buried valuables. They trusted that their treasure would be more safe with aspen.  

Sprouting is the most successful way to reproduce in aspen trees while aspens reproduce both by seeds and root sprouts. Before the leaves grow, the flowers of this tree bloom in early spring. Male and female catkins emerge in separate trees. Then, the small fruits produced are split and they are dispersed by the wind. Next, germination occurs where the seeds find their comfortable moisturized soil to carry on the further processes. The Aspen tree is considered the outgoing, enthusiastic tree in America.  I know, you will not argue with that after referring to this piece of information about the tree. 

Quaking aspen is one of the most popular species and that is the highly distributed native. It grows widely well in many regions adapting to many environments. That is the reason for quaking aspens becoming more popular and the reason for widespread in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Utah and Colorado are the two regions in the United States where most of the aspen forests are found. Animals like deer, black deer, moose, migratory birds, elk find their habitat in aspen trees. Tourists prefer to see the beauty of aspen in autumn. So they gather in the West to experience that amazement of beautiful nature. 

If you have grown aspens near to your dwelling, you can improve the soil health by using a soil injection that includes nutrients and fertilizers, applying a good product to get rid of insects and mites to this tree, and by protecting young aspen shoots from deer and elk browsing. As well as, you can take steps to minimize the threats from fungal diseases too. But wildfires are not that bad for aspens. The underground root system appears quickly to refill the stands. Conifer species in the stand are also removed by the wildfires which are threats for aspens’ shades.

Pando aspens grove, 1000 ‘s years old is the largest organism and is dying due to several reasons. It has survived unnoticed in Fishlake National Forest in Utah. Human mismanagement, diminishing by mule deer, and foraging cattle are the main reasons for this grove’s dying process. Fencing also became useless because deer entered the grove over the fences too. 

Do you agree if I say you can hear the fluttering of butterfly wings through the leaves of a tree? You should agree because aspen is the tree that has such amazing leaves. It comes with a slight breeze. The whispering rustle of a quaking aspen tree also will be experienced by anyone who goes to a forest full of aspen trees. That is because we humans are lucky enough to entertain the amazement of inspiring nature. The colorful, clear, and neat eyesight with cold, calm wind together with the soft, natural music is the freely available entertainment facilities which this wonderful tree provides us.