Description
There are those plants that you see everyday, and thus, maybe take them for granted. In the last few years I have been paying closer attention to the red maples that are everywhere in our natural landscape. I learned, that even though they are wind pollinated, they are an important nectar and pollen source for early season pollinators as the trees flower in mid to late April. Recently I saw the earliest of spring butterflies, the mourning cloak, flittering among the branches, perhaps attracted by the sweet smell of open flowers, or maybe just going where the wind took it. It is in the early spring that we can fully appreciate how this tree earned its name sake, the red maple. There are male and female trees, both of which sport bright crimson flowers; perhaps a bit subdued because they lack a robust set of petals that insect pollinated flowers have, but stunning as they are produced en masse. The fall foliage is usually a stunning crimson red, and in fact, many cultivars have been selected on this trait. In the winter, Chickadees will roam along the branches, looking for precious protein in the form of overwintering insect larvae.
1.5ft to 2 ft high trees in 2 gallon pots @ $28 each
