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ASPENS of AUTUMN

Glorious golden aspens lure me to the Grand Canyon's remote North Rim in autumn. Hints of the ephemeral display to come may be seen as early as September when a few isolated aspens begin to glow against the vast and verdant canvas that spreads across the Rim and beyond. By October the artistic embrace is complete, and the aspens suffuse the woodlands with a golden glow sometimes tinged with red. As a photographer who spends most of his time at the Canyon, I normally wish for the clouds, the mists, the storms that bring drama to a picture. But I like nothing better than a clear and cloudless sky of deep blue as a backdrop for the North Rim's amazing aspens of autumn. (PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 28 AND 29) Shimmering against the deep blue of the northern Arizona sky, aspens in Kaibab National Forest revel in the riotous color of their seasonal dress. (ABOVE, RIGHT) Cloaked in autumn splendor, aspens signal the changing seasons of the Arizona high country. (RIGHT) The leaves, branches, and shoots of the tree, known variously as quaking aspen, golden aspen, and mountain aspen, provide an important food source for upland deer and elk populations.