Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
The sugar maple has distinctive five-pointed leaves. They are dark
green on top and pale green on the underside. In Fall they turn
beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. The sugar maple is
one of the most valuable trees for timber because of its hard, dense
wood. They can grow up to 80 feet tall and 2-3 feet in diameter.
It grows throughout the Great Lakes region. Sugar maple is also
the tree most commonly tapped to produce maple syrup.
The bark of the sugar maple tends to be smooth and gray when the
trees are young. As they age and grow, the bark usually becomes
rougher,
with deep cracks forming an irregular texture. Sometimes the bark
may have black splotches which are caused by a harmless fungus.
Shortly after Spring
arrives, the buds on sugar maple twigs begin to break open and flower.
Once these flowers are pollinated, seeds begin to form. These seeds
are about an inch long and have two wings. When they mature in Fall,
they drop from the branches, spinning like the blades of a helicopter.
rougher,
with deep cracks forming an irregular texture. Sometimes the bark
may have black splotches which are caused by a harmless fungus.
Spring
arrives, the buds on sugar maple twigs begin to break open and flower.
Once these flowers are pollinated, seeds begin to form. These seeds
are about an inch long and have two wings. When they mature in Fall,
they drop from the branches, spinning like the blades of a helicopter.