Clonal colony

Okay kiddo, do you like trees? Great! So, imagine a big, strong tree standing in a forest. That tree has lots of branches and leaves, right?

Now, let's talk about what happens under the ground. Trees have roots, which are like straws that suck up water and nutrients from the soil.

Sometimes, a single tree can have lots of roots spreading out underground. And sometimes, those roots can form new trees!

But here's the thing: all those trees actually come from the same "parent" tree. It's like they're all brothers and sisters, because they all have the same DNA. That's what we call a clonal colony.

So even though it looks like there are lots of separate trees, they're really all connected under the ground. It's kind of like a big family, but instead of hugs and kisses, they share water and resources through their root system.

Isn't that cool? And did you know that some of the world's oldest and biggest trees are actually clonal colonies? Pretty amazing stuff.