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Charlotte Parkin
Head of Marketing & Sub Editor for On Landscape. Dabble in digital photography, open water swimmer, cooking buff & yogi.
Following on from Tim’s article about Aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Issue 336, we’ve received a wide range of responses. The images explore the species from different perspectives — from detailed studies of bark and leaf to wider views showing aspen in its landscape.
Thank you to everyone who contributed; here’s a selection from the submissions. These submissions are ordered by date received, rather than alphabetically.
"I'm blown away by the responses from our call for Aspen photos. I've since heard from a few people who are working on projects about Aspen but also people who work in conservation who have told me some more about how they behave. Over the last week I've been outdoors in Glencoe looking for our own Aspen stands. They're only just starting to change colour but I thought I'd pop a couple of photographs at the end of this article to show some of what we have locally!" - Tim Parkin
Mike Jones
Peak in Colorado,
Gold Camp Road near Cheyenne Canyon in Pike National Forest
Waiting Out Winter,
Palmer Lake, Pike National Forest, Colorado, USA, March 25, after the leaves drop.
Early Colorado,
Pike National Forest near Palmer Lake, Colorado, Sept 14, 2025
Enjoying Summer,
From Limbaugh Canyon, Pike National Forest, Colorado, USA, August 2023, before the leaves turn color.
Sigfrido Zimmermann
Aspen Clonal Group,
Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2020. This stand of aspens is found within a mixed conifer forest that includes Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Aspen Leaves on Snow,
Sequoia National Park, California, USA, 2022. A mixture of seasons, with an early snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, made this scene possible.
Uwe Beutnagel
Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, USA
Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, USA
Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, USA
Christopher Palmer
Aspen Grove, Middlesex, UK
Aspen Rhythm, Middlesex, UK
Aspen Saplings, Middlesex, UK
Aspen Tapestry, Middlesex, UK
Ian Meades
Along The Rio Hondo, Sangre De Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
Bennington Lake, Foothills of the Blue Mountains, outside Walla Walla, Washington State.
Adam Pierzchala
Habitat,
Aspen sapling protected from the elements in a rocky crevice.
Paul Hetzel
Aspen Grove, Eastern Sierras, California
Aspen Panorama, Eastern Sierras, California
Dancing Aspens, Eastern Sierras, California
Jan Glover
Standing Tall,
Park City, Utah, USA
Touched by Snow.
Telluride, Colorado, USA
Track Through The Aspens,
Park City, Utah, USA
David Muiry
Aspen Trunks, Late Winter,
Castle Creek, near Aspen,
Colorado, USA
Stunted Winter Aspens on Lava Flow,
Northern Arizona, USA
Backlit Aspen, Last Dollar Road, San Juan,
Mountains, near Ridgway, Colorado, USA
Bird’s Nest, Last Dollar Road,
San Juan
Mountains, near Ridgway, Colorado, USA
Title note: Inspired by the architecture of
The National Stadium in Beijing, built for the 2008 Olympics
Charlie Judson
Aspens in Winter,
Mono Basin, California, USA
Jarbidge Mountains, Nevada, USA
Ruby Mountains, Nevada, USA
Stunted Winter Aspens on Lava Flow,
Northern Arizona, USA
Beth Young
Foggy Aspen,
Ruby Mountains
Martha Montiel
Formation,
Driving home from a trip to Wyoming, I saw these roadside aspens. All perfectly straight and several layers deep. The formation and different sizes created depth. The youngest aspens in front are barely tall enough to make it.
Golden Echoes,
Dead aspen leaves floating on water with aspen trunks reflected as ghosts in the background.This image is inspired by Monet's Water Lilies. I loved the little water bubbles, too.
Peeking Through, This image was captured during a small hike after I had been photographing water reflections. Nothing I loved. On my way back and as the sun was going down, I walked through a section of the trail where the aspens were red and orange. I loved the color of the leaves at this time of day. I love capturing images where I feel like I am peeking through and invading some sort of privacy. Martha Montiel
Reverence,
I had never seen a fern turn shades of yellow during fall before. This image caught my attention as it seemed in my mind that the fern was paying reverence to the aspen trunks it was surrounding.
Adriana Benetti Longhini
Aosta Aspens, Aosta, Italy,
These golden aspens were like a golden flame on a somewhat miserable day in northern Italy. I was visiting a waterfall in the area, and on my way down from the hike, I spotted a small group visible from a distance.
Kenneth Muir
Populus Tremula in late summer at the riverside, Glen Affric.
The leaves typically turn a rich yellow in Autumn, but occasionally they can turn red due to the presence of anthocyanins.
Populus Tremula in late summer at the riverside, Glen Affric.
The leaves typically turn a rich yellow in Autumn, but occasionally they can turn red due to the presence of anthocyanins
Aspen in Autumn, Populus tremula at the edge of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric.
Aspen trees are a favourite with beavers, and a licence has recently been granted for their reintroduction to the glen.
Aspen and Scots Pine,
Populus tremula in late summer at the riverside, Glen Affric.
Tim Parkin
Below the three sisters in Glencoe is a stand of aspen hidden next to the river coe and below Gearr Aonach.
The Lost Valley has just a few stand of aspen spread around the sides of the hanging valley.
The biggest stand of aspen in the lost valley shown in more detail.