The painterly scar in the aspen bark was likely made by an elk,. who rub their antlers on trunks and bite off bark for nutrients.  I love to walk through our forests when the wind rains leaves in autumn. Each leaf seems to me an individual:  a colorful, tragic hero now forsaken to the snows. I have challenged myself to develop a more intimate appreciation of this ordinary beauty by focusing on one common tree, the aspen, in one place common to me, the Coconino National Forest near my home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Aspen Bark, Elk Sign
Coconino N.F., Arizona

 ©2005 Bryan David Griffith, All Rights Reserved.  Unauthorized use of images contained herein constitiutes violation of copyright.