Image via WikipediaMy colleagues will attest to the fact that I do not have a green thumb. My recent performance in caring for an orchid that was sent to us by our banking partner, Square 1 Bank, leaves no doubt. The flower passed shortly after the July 4th weekend. My public stance was to blame the dry climate, but we all know the truth.
Nevertheless I am going to share something that I learned from the field of botany. Aspens, trees that are part of the willow family, grow in what is referred to as clonal colonies. This means that they when you see a grove of aspens, they are likely derived from one single seedling. The trees grow upwards from the same root system, and share an identical DNA. As old trees die, new trees sprout up to take their place.
While the individual trees can thrive for 40-150 years above ground, the root system can survive for thousands of years. In fact, there is a colony in Utah that is claimed to be 80,000 years old!
This is quite remarkable, and an excellent example from nature on what it takes to avoid obsolescence.
