Description 

Red maple, Acer rubrum, is an obvious choice. Most recognize its stunning clear red leaves, which are generally three-pointed, setting it apart from its relatives. The spring buds are red, too, and are mostly responsible for the maroon glow on our mountainsides that heralds spring in these parts. Red maple is a hardy, adaptable tree that grows 40-60 feet tall and wide with smooth grey bark and a pyramidal shape. The straight species is a perfect, handsome shade tree, but there are cultivars available in the landscape trade that accommodate smaller spaces or even enhance its fall display.

Silver maple, Acer saccharinum, is a workhorse of a native tree. Fast-growing and well-suited to moist to very wet soils, it holds an important place in riparian restoration. The common name refers to the shaggy bark and silvery undersides of its leaves, which are five-pointed and more delicate than other maples, similar in shape to Japanese maple. It is among the earliest trees to bloom in the spring, often concurrent with willow. The tree’s shallow feeder roots and tendency to drop branches make it less than ideal as a landscape tree, but while I grumble mowing beneath it in the summer, I fall in love again in March when its early blooms are covered in happy pollinators.

Sugar maple, Acer saccharum, is the most iconic of the maple species highlighted here, perhaps of all northeastern tree species. I find its flaming autumn display to be the most beautiful of all, and sometimes collect the fallen leaves to spread on my table for a study in the many colors we call simply “gold” and “orange”. Achieving the same size and stature as the red maple, it’s also widely adaptable, though I find it prefers a bit of topography.