What plant is this?

[c9h13no3]

It's got leaves like an aspen, but is sort of a bush. Found it in a couple of spots going up Horse Creek last weekend.

FWIW, the aspens along Horse Creek were still majority green.

What plant is this lining the trail?

[Harlen]

Hey C9,

First semi-educated guess- Mountain Snowberry, perhaps: Symphoricarpos vaccinoides.

Do you have a closer-up photo? Calflora is failing on that species, but my old Jepson Manual (Higher Plants of of Cal.) text has at least 3 snowberry species that could be found in that environment. The Weeden text: A Sierra Nevada Flora has: "Mountain Snowberry"- S. vaccinoides, found in: "Rocky slopes, 5000-10,5000, Fresno Co. north..." and S. rotundifolius, found in Rocky slopes, 4000-11,000 Sierra Nevada (all)." "all" meaning all parts of the Sierra. Those are the most likely species of Snowberry.
Now did you climb up something?...that great "Whorl Mt?"

[c9h13no3]

Nah, I don't have a better photo, but that seems like a pretty good guess to me.

Now did you climb up something?...that great "Whorl Mt?"

Yeah, saw these on the approach to Whorl. Chock stone route was really cool.

[Matthew]

Hi C9
Amelanchier utahensis is my bet. It has serrations on the outer most part of the leaf margin and turns yellow in the fall - both like your plant. At high elevations this tallish shrub may be stunted to form a ground cover.
https://calscape.org/Amelanchier-utahensis-()
CalFlora says it is found in the region of Horse Creek. Amerlanchier alnifolia is also found in that region.

[Harlen]

matthew wrote:

Amelanchier utahensis is my bet. It has serrations on the outer most part of the leaf margin and turns yellow in the fall - both like your plant.

I reckon matthew may have this right. I figured out the greater magnification, and now can see the serrations Matthew notes. This makes serviceberry a better choice. Thanks Matthew.