QUAKIES

When the mountains seem to suddenly be running with rivers of gold, the quakies are making their annual affirmation of continuity. They cannot be missed and they will not be dismissed.

Above is one of my favorite Aspen photos. I have many. This one I've called 'Phantom Queen' because of the location (Phantom Canyon in the Colorado Rockies) and the majesty of this little stand of aspen trees. Little did I know when I took the photo and named it how very apt the name is.

Because my time is limited at the moment I'll share only a couple of things about what has come to be my most favorite of trees.

The first is that they are survivors. They are probably the least likely of all of earth's organisms to succumb to extinction. In the article below we are told of what may be the oldest of these organisms - it's 80,000 years old.

No, I'm not kidding you. Look it up.

Second, related to first: You'll see that I kind of switched from calling quakies 'trees' to referring to them as 'organisms'. That's because the individual 'trees' are all parts of a larger 'organism' that sends them up from beneath the ground. That would be the root system. The trees that we see in any given stand of aspen are, each and all, identical to one another. They're clones.

So, the third thing I'll share is that if you watch the turning of the colors in the fall you'll be able to identify the different stands of aspen, the 'family groups' so to speak, by noticing that the changing of the colors seems to come in clumps or streams. 

*laughing*

I guess all three come down to the same thing, don't they?

Aspen, 'Quakies', are long-lived.

The INFJ/P mind in my head has all sorts of observations and comments to make about this phenomenon. 

Lucky for you, there's no time at the moment to indulge that INFJ/P urge.

Since I already know it isn't going to just go away and leave me alone, I know that one day soon I will sit down and explore the esoteric ramifications of the Quakies' survival tools.

Mostly I haven't thought all that much about them, truth be told. Mostly I just love looking at them. What's under the surface is under the surface; we don't see it until we start digging a little. Fortunately for us, what is above the surface is magnificent.

Click HERE for a site that will tell you more.