Close-Up View of Quaking Aspen Bark (Rooks, May 24, 2013)

The quaking aspen is a deciduous tree that tends to grow around 50-60 feet tall, but it has been known to grow up to 120 feet. The bark is smooth and tends to be light gray to a grayish green color, with dark patches of gray called lenticles. The purpose of the lenticles are to allow gases to move between the outer bark and inner bark. The leaves are orb- to ovately shaped (oval-shaped) and have flattened peitoles. A petiole is the stalk of the leaf that connects the leaf to the twig of the tree. The lateral roots of the tree can spread to over 100 feet in clear areas.

Quaking Aspens with Fall Foliage on Nature Trail in Lamoille Canyon (Wikimedia username: Famartin, October 6, 2013)

The leaves turn a beautiful shade of yellow in the fall. Because of this and the whitish bark that is so much lighter than the bark of most trees, the quaking aspen is considered to be a very attractive tree.