Pando: Ephraim Children Exploring Earth’s Largest Living Organism
2024
During workshops hosted by Granary Arts, students at Ephraim Elementary School created mixed-media watercolor paintings of the beautiful aspen trees that grow in the mountain range overlooking our valley. Inspiration for this project was drawn from Pando–believed to be the world’s largest, most dense organism, located in the nearby Fishlake National Forest. Weighing in at nearly 13 million pounds, this organism spreads over 106 acres, and consists of over 40,000 trees interconnected by a massive root system. Pando is estimated to have started at the end of the last Ice Age. Its exceptional size, weight, and prehistoric nature have drawn attention worldwide.
Pando is one of the many distinct features of the landscape that makes up this valley we call home. Students painted these trees as they remember them at various times throughout the year, creating familiar scenes that tell their stories through the use of color, shape and line.
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