What have we here?

[SwampDonkey]

Looks familiar right? Can't be that hard to figure out, eh?





Hmm, what are the red things?  ;)




leave stem at end that attaches to branch. Looks like the glue didn't quite set, kinda smudged.  ;D

[SPIKER]

good picture but I'm not gonna guess as there are a few too many identifiers that I'm not good with...

mark m

[Don K]

Looks like the Canadian National Flag Red Maple.   :D :D

[SwampDonkey]

Does, but it ain't. And the flag don't have a red maple, well...except the color.  :D ;)

[SwampDonkey]

Another leaf for ya.  ;D

[Dodgy Loner]

Looks like a Norway maple, Acer platanoides.  The bottom leaf appears to be the 'Crimson King' cultivar.

[caz]

Black maple

[SwampDonkey]

Yup Dodgy has it.  The green one is actually a true clone of the red one. In other words, the tree is self pollinating and the seed would have identical genes. There are no other Norway maple within miles of here. ;)

And any guess to what the red structures are? They are actually elongated structures, of something you may not realize without being observant with the change of seasons. ;)

[Dodgy Loner]

They look like bud scales, although I've never seen a maple with bud scales that long before.

[SwampDonkey]

Yup, that they are bud scales and huge. I believe one of the reasons they are so big is they have only 2 or sometimes three per bud. Striped maple and willow have some big ones to, and are cap-like. The reason I posted these is that they are so showing and the fact that the driveway it polluted with them.  Almost like rose petals, well not quite as big. ;D

[Dave Shepard]

I knew what it was as soon as I saw the picture, I get this sickening feeling in the bottom my stomach at the mere sight of Acer Platanoides. I have planted far too many, and they are now on the Mass. no-no list. They are not my favourite maple.


Dave

[SwampDonkey]

As I said I have one, but mother nature is planting the rest. I have seen them around the capital seeding in around the park and university. I don't think there is fear of them invading the forest. I like them as a yard tree. Some I have seen are not from the same latitude and they die off or get cankers badly. You never know where this nursery stock is brought in from. We still have nurseries trying to push off magnolias up here. No way in #$@% will they survive here.


starting to ramble.  ;D

[Dodgy Loner]

I wish our invasive species were as nice as Norway maple.  All we get down here is privet, kudzu, chinaberry, honeysuckle, and, oh yeah, more privet.  They're all vines, shrubs, and small, shade-intolerant trees.  I wouldn't mind an invasive plant nearly as much if it was an overstory hardwood with some decent lumber.  I have to admit, though, it's hard to complain about the mimosas this time of year

[Tom]

Be careful for what you wish.  We have some farmers in S. Georgia who are experimenting with Paulownia.

[Dodgy Loner]

Yep, I've seen a few plantations around the Albany area - even Jimmy Carter planted several acres.  Must've been a real slick salesman to convice someone to plant those 8!@#%^&*.  I think Paulownia would fall under the category of small, shade-intolerant trees, not overstory trees.  And the wood is completely worthless - the Japanese (who were supposed to be the market for this stuff) want tight-grained, slow-grown paulownia lumber, not the weak, brittle, fast-grown plantation wood from south GA.  Fortunately, I think most people have wised up to the scam, but if you drive through the Smoky Mountains this time of year, you'll realize that the damage has already been done.