West Mancos Trail, October 9, 2008 and
Calico Trail, September 29, 2009.

Above:  Sun-loving Aspens on the mountainside will some day give way to shade-producing
Picea engelmannii (Engelmann Spruce) and Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa Pine) that are already making strong inroads
into the Aspen grove.  Picea and Pinus can sprout
in the shade of the Aspens, but Aspens rarely sprout in the shade of other trees.

Below:  Subdued yellows of
Symphoricarpos rotundifolia (Snowberry shrubs), maroons of Quercus gambelii (Gambel's Oak),
and a few young Aspens provide
the foreground for golden Aspens on the mountain side
across the Dolores River Valley.