Crooked Bush

About a hectare of trembling aspen north of Hafford grows wrong: the trunks bend, curl and crawl sideways instead of rising straight, some doubling back on themselves, and the branches twist in loops. Straight aspens of the same species stand right up to the boundary of the grove, which is what makes it strange. The cause is generally taken to be a genetic mutation spread through the clone, since aspens reproduce by root suckers and a whole stand can be one organism, though it has never been definitively settled. Local stories about aliens and cursed ground attached themselves in the twentieth century. A boardwalk runs through the grove.

What you'll find

• The twisted trunks - aspens bending, curling and growing sideways.
• The sharp boundary - normal straight aspens right at the edge of the grove.
• The boardwalk - a raised path protecting the shallow root system.
• The single clone - one organism connected by roots under the whole stand.

When to go

May to September; the grove is most legible with leaves off in late autumn or early spring, when the trunk shapes are clear. The access road is gravel and poor after rain.

Things to know

It is about one hectare and takes fifteen minutes. Walking off the boardwalk damages the roots and is discouraged. The gravel access road is easy to miss and rough.

Nearby

Hafford lies south; Saskatoon is southeast.

Key facts