Today's image is another photograph courtesy of Maureen from Montana, aka MontanaRaven@Flickr (BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Thanks again, Maureen, and also thank you for your writings and photos on your weblog, raven's nest.
Maureen has written a short piece accompanying the photograph, which I hope is alright to share here. She writes:
“Aspens are my all-time favorite trees. I love the way each individual tree, although connected by underground roots and genetically related, like a close family, to all the other trees in it's vicinity – each tree takes on it's own personality and character as it matures. These have the twisted, dancing shapes that come from years of bending under heavy winter snows. The stark white bark stands in contrast to the darker forested background. A beautiful sight on any winter day, but especially on days like today, when the sun seems like it's purposely spotlighting this grove. Ah, what a great place to hang out, even when the temperature is only 10F!”
For more on the clonal reproductive strategy of aspens (both the North American Populus tremuloides and the Eurasian Populus tremula), see Aspen – Boreal Symbol via Scotland's Trees for Life.
Photography resource link: The colour-rich photography of Marc Adamus.
I love the sepia tone on this one. Different, and I think a beautiful complement to white of the white of the bark.
dear people,
thank you so much for doing the botany picture of the day every day.
thank you,
nathan terrell
Daniel, I'm not sure if you've seen the two pix I shot of some unusually colored aspens leaves this past fall. I've never seen orange aspen leaves before and wondered what might be causing the coloration. These photos are right out of my camera - I didn't play with the color at all. And this grove is a familiar one - every other year the leaves were the usual yellow. This fall they were bright orange. Do you have any ideas? Here is a link to one of the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanaraven/52219328/in/photostream/
Maureen, did you have more sun than usual this past autumn?
Hmmm, I thought of that, Daniel and I really can't say. It seemed like an average year, to me. Have you heard of the orange coloration when the weather is unusually sunny?
I was thinking of the same process that's described here. If it isn't that, then I'm at a loss.