Quaking Aspen

Quaking Aspens

A real Rocky Mountain High.  Golden Quaking Aspen shimmer and rustle in the wind. 

Quaking AspensPopulus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name Aspen. It is commonly called “quaking aspen”, trembling aspen, American aspen, Quakies, mountain or golden aspen, embling poplar, white poplar, popple, and even more names. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 m (82 ft) tall, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in autumn. The species often propagates through its roots to form large groves.

The widespread distribution of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests on the region’s high plateaus and mountain ranges and their importance to many wildlife species make these forests a significant biotic community on the Colorado Plateau. Large, nearly pure stands of aspen can be seen on the Markagunt, Aquarius, Pansaugunt, and Wasatch Plateaus of central and southern Utah and in the La Sal Mountains on the eastern border of the state. Grand Mesa and the Uncompaghre Plateau in far western Colorado also support extensive aspen forests. Further south, aspen is abundant in the White Mountains, on the Kaibab Plateau, and on the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona. Aspen is most commonly found between 7500 and about 10,500 feet on the Colorado Plateau, particularly on well-watered south-facing slopes.

Aspen is a common name for certain tree species, some, but not all, of those that are classified by botanists in the section Populus, of the poplar genus.  The English name Waverly, meaning "quaking aspen," is both a surname and a unisex given name.