Red Maple

Though we don't think of trees as flowers, many trees do produce flowers. And while some of those flowers tend to be too high up for us to appreciate (and some are admittedly less showy than others), you can find some pretty impressive flowers on some trees.

Take a look at these flowers from a Red Maple. Earlier in the spring they can get your attention even if you're not particularly close. These look like female flowers; I have to admit that I didn't look to see if it also had male flowers on it. Red Maple trees can consist entirely of male flowers or female flowers or a mix of both. Not only that, but an individual Red Maple tree will occasionally switch between these 3 flower configurations.

The Red Maple can be used to make maple syrup, though there's a catch. The Red Maple produces buds quite a bit earlier in the season than trees like the Sugar Maple, and once the budding starts the syrup doesn't taste as good. This means the sap tapping season for the Red Maple is shorter than that of some of its relatives.

Ultimately they will produce those "helicopter" seeds you'll see spinning to the ground; they are officially called samaras (SA-muh-ruh).

March 25, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 186774371, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

March 25, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 186774411, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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