Aspens

Aspen is a member of the poplar family with pale, almost silvery bark and leaves that are almost round with scalloped edges.  Because of their long stalks the leaves tremble in the slightest breeze.  Hence the botanical name Populus tremula.  

Aspens spread by sending up sucker shoots from the wide-spreading roots.  This means they tend to invade open areas and produce more and more trees.  Here you can see a group of sucker shoots invading the grassland at Filnore Woods.

We have several aspens at Filnore: some near the ruined cowshed and these up near post 3 opposite the memorial lime trees.  The big tree in the middle of the picture is the original tree that we planted 20 odd years ago.  But can you see that one of its children to the right has gone brown and may be dead.

 And in this picture there is a dead branch on a nearby oak.  No need to panic though.  Nobody lives forever.