Let’s talk about roots — the hidden half of the plant world. They’re like nature’s underground plumbing, sure, but also its postal system, emergency pantry, secret handshake society, and occasionally, wrestling ring. You never really know what you’re walking over.
Take the quaking aspen. Or rather, take Pando — a single aspen colony in Utah that looks like a forest but is really one organism, all connected by a massive root system. It's been quietly cloning itself for possibly over 10,000 years. It might be the largest living thing on Earth, depending on how you measure that sort of thing. Humbling, right?
Some roots go straight down like nature’s drill bits (looking at you, taproots). Others sprawl sideways like they're hunting for gossip from neighboring plants. And they do gossip, in a sense — roots can send chemical signals to warn others of pests, invite helpful fungi over for a nutrient trade, or even block rival roots from getting too close. Drama beneath the dirt!
And then there are the weirdos: mangroves that grow snorkels (called pneumatophores) to breathe above waterlogged soil. Strangler figs that send roots down from the canopy like botanical spiderwebs. Or carrots — which, yes, are just super buff roots storing sugar like they’re prepping for winter hibernation.
A few root systems doing their thing.
Roots might not be flashy, but they’re busy. They bend toward moisture, dodge obstacles, and even seem to remember where the good stuff was last season. Which is kind of impressive, considering they don’t have brains. Or maybe they just don’t need one. Either way, they’ve certainly found their way into some interesting places — and I’ve even made a list of a few such spots where you can find a wide variety of roots, because I know you're curious!
- Crowley's Ridge State Park - Paragould, AR
- Fahnestock State Park - Carmel Hamlet, NY
- Summersville Lake State Park - Summersville, WV
- Rock Bridge Memorial State Park - Columbia, MO
- Deer Creek State Park - Wallsburg, UT
- Buckhorn Island State Park - Grand Island, NY
- Battle Island State Park - Fulton, NY
- Glimmerglass State Park - Cooperstown, NY
- Stonelick State Park - Pleasant Plain, OH
- Mount Zero – Victoria, Australia
- Humboldt Lagoons State Park – Trinidad, CA
- Smugglers' Notch State Park - Stowe, VT
- Lake St. Catherine State Park - Poultney, VT
- Petit Jean State Park - Morrilton, AR
- Net Zero Parks – Allegheny County, PA
- Harris Beach State Park - Brookings, OR
- Lake Chicot State Park - Lake Village, AR
- Shasta State Historic Park – Shasta, CA
- Lake Catherine State Park - Hot Springs, AR
- Marblehead Lighthouse State Park – Marblehead, OH
- Moraine State Park - Portersville, PA
- Branbury State Park - Salisbury, VT
- Castlewood Canyon State Park - Franktown, CO
- Zero Carbon Park – Shenzhen, China
- Gifford Woods State Park - Killington, VT
- Squantz Pond State Park - New Fairfield, CT
- Worlds End State Park - Forksville, PA
I don't suggest going to all of those places though, that would take way too long. This puzzle is meant to be solved from home, you silly goose!
Congrats to spooko13 on being the first person to root out the solution, find the cache, and score an inactive trackable :)
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psst.... hey, you want a couple hints? (totally optional) well you're gonna have to inspect and earn them....