Sad news for aspens

On our trip to northern Arizona, we were looking for the changing of the colors, particularly in the aspen trees. But SWMBO said it looked like the older trees were dying, or at least sick. The leaves seemed gray and many of the trees were leafless.

I mentioned this to a friend when we returned home and he said he had heard something was killing the aspens. Investigating, I found an article that said the death rate of aspens in some forests near Flagstaff has neared 95% and fewer appear to be regrowing. The high death rate has mystified scientists, the article continued, though the list of suspected causes includes drought, disease, insect infestation, wildfire suppression and the grazing habits of elk. Couple that with the bark beetle infestation that is threatening the Ponderosa pines and you have a grim picture of the future.

Fall color (???)

After reading about fall colors in the newspaper the other day, SWMBO and I headed north today to the Flagstaff area to check them out.


Arizona's highest point, Humphrey's Peak, had a dusting of snow on top.

There was some color on another hillside but SWMBO determined it was some kind of shrubbery.

But we did find a few young aspens that had changed color. This was behind a big snag of dead wood from seasons past.

It makes a difference in color as to which side the photograph is taken. The first picture, above, was taken with the sun at my back. The second one was taken more into the sun.

In spite of the many signs along the highway, we once again saw no elk. But as I was walking over to take the above photos, SWMBO did spot several deer bounding away through the trees and I caught a glimpse of them.

But they were too far away for the camera to catch them.

More photos tomorrow.