RED MAPLES; YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE 'EM!

RED MAPLE (ACER RUBRUM)

BRANCH WITH FLOWERS...

...INDIVIDUAL FLOWERS

Tuesday, 9:00 AM. 44 degrees F, up from 40 degrees earlier.  Wind WSW, light with occasional stronger gusts.  The sky is overcast with low clouds.  The humidity is 90% and the barometer is currently steady at 29.87". It rained a bit off and on during the night and it is a cold, damp day.
   Every spring I watch patiently for the red maple flower buds to swell and eventually open fully.  It is well worth the wait, as the flowers, although individually small, are brilliant maroon-red in full bloom and very attractive.  The flowers being small, the tree as a whole is not overly colorful, but close-up examination meets all expectations.
   Red maple, Acer rubrum, is a North American native tree of wide distribution, and is typically found in wet locations, but like most moisture-loving trees, it will withstand drier conditions, and makes a good street tree.  When young the tree has a very regular, oval shape, and eventually becomes a large, even majestic tree.  In my experience it is generally trouble free and stays structurally sound well into old age, and in many respects I prefer it to the more widely planted sugar maple.
   The red maple is known mainly for its brilliant red  autumn color, and in the native landscape they stand out like pillars of fire among the more subdued hues of other native trees.
   There are naturally occurring hybrids between red and silver maple, Acer saccharinum, that exhibit many of the best characteristics of both species.  'Autum Blaze' and similar popular cultivars have, unfortunately, become over-planted, and along with the planting of sugar and other maples have contributed to the overuse of the entire maple genus.
   But you've gotta love em!