Prompt #39: Transition and Change

September 2022

Hi Friends,

We have finally reached that magical time of the year here in the Sierra Nevada when the aspens start to change color. I love aspen trees and the way each tree is part of a much larger network. A stand of aspen trees is really a singular organism, connected by a large underground system, making each tree a genetic replica of all the others. The root system of the aspen might stay dormant for many years before the conditions are just right, and a single aspen trunk breaks the soil. Some of these massive networks are older than giant Sequoias and ancient Bristlecones; the oldest aspen clone has lived more than 80,000 years! If that timeframe doesn’t put things into perspective, I’m not sure what does. This amazing tree will serve as our writing inspiration this week.