Quaking Aspen is a gorgeous tree throughout the year, but is admired the most during the winter, because of the stunning white bark
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
What did the tree do when it got scared?
- It began to quake!
Did you know?
- The wood is used to make plywood, palates, chopsticks, matches, particle board, and hamster bedding
- The long, flat stems make the leaves shake in the slightest of breezes, which is where it gets the name, “Quaking” Aspen
- The branches were boiled down and used as a cleaner for hunting traps and tools
- A group of Aspen trees make a great firebreak—and can sometimes help to extinguish fires because of the small amount of flammable accumulation!
- Quaking Aspen is the most widely distributed species in North America
- Native Americans would cut the inner bark into strips, dry it out, and ground it into meal, to be mixed with other starches for bread or mush
- This is the ONLY Quaking Aspen tree here at the nature center! Pretty cool, huh?
Common Names:
- Quaking Aspen
- Golden Aspen
- Mountain Aspen
Wildlife Benefits:
- Bark, buds, new sprouts, and twigs are eaten by deer, mice, voles, shrews, chipmunks, and rabbits
Habitat:
- Woodlands
Size:
- 30-40' tall, with a crown width of 20-30'
Growing Conditions:
- Full sun to partial shade
- Moist, well-drained soil
Select Identification Characteristics:
- Leaf Type: Simple
- Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
- Bud Arrangement: Alternate
- Terminal Bud: Single
- *Petiole: Flattened
