02/09/2020
"And... it has a name. Pando!" 🌲🍂🍁
Pando, which means 'I spread out' in latin, is a quaking aspen grove (which is probably why its also known as the 'trembling giant') in Fishlake National Forest in the state of Utah, USA.
Originally starting out as a single male quaking aspen, its roots spread out and put up new shoots, which eventually turned into the gigantic clonal colony it is today. All the shoots have the same genetical markers, thus are considered to be a single organism.
Its root system is also 80,000 years old, making it one of the oldest organisms on earth. However, its shoots live for only 130 years before dying.
Despite the many forest fires and other threats it faces in its habitat, Pando always springs back up due to its underground root system, that continues to spring up new shoots as old ones die off.
It is a living embodiment of working to perpetuate what one is part of rather than individual self-interests can lead to something wonderful and long-lasting; symbolic of humanity.
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