9/14/2023 0 Comments Picture of sugar maple leafThe red color in Sugar Maple leaves is caused by anthocyanin, which is a pigment produced by leaves with high sugar content. In Autumn, Sugar Maple leaves initially turn bright red, but later often fade to orange, ultimately becoming yellow. Known to most people as helicopters, whirlybirds, or whirligigs, the samaras are primarily scattered by the wind which can carry the seeds over three-hundred feet. Maple seeds are heavy and can’t float aloft in the breeze in a feathery coating like other lighter seeds, so the tree equips the fruit containing the seed with wings to assist in dispersal. Pollinated female flowers eventually produce the samaras containing the seeds. Another example of a monolayered tree in Bayne Park is the Kousa Dogwood. The leaves of the Sugar Maple are even shaped and sized to maximize light absorption, with the lower leaves being conspicuously larger and less lobed. This is especially advantageous in forest habitats where there is a low amount of sunlight beneath the canopy of larger and more mature trees. Sugar Maples are monolayered, with leaves arranged in a precise non-overlapping pattern which helps each leaf receive optimal solar energy. When the leaf buds burst later in the Spring it marks the end of the maple sugaring season, as chemical changes occurring in the tree impart a noticeable bitterness to the sap. The tubing is often arranged so that gravity will efficiently carry the sap from multiple trees to a central holding tank. The picturesque collection method shown above has mostly given way to a more modern system of plastic taps and tubing. It takes forty gallons of sap to make just one sweet gallon of maple syrup! The sap is collected and boiled in an evaporator to remove much of the water content. Once the trees are tapped, sap flows off of the specialized spout called a spile into the collection bucket. From mid-February to late March, a series of warm sunny days with temperatures above freezing, and cold nights with temperatures below freezing are ideal for optimal sap flow. Real maple syrup is made from the sap of Sugar Maple trees. Scientifically known as Acer saccharum, the species name saccharum means sweet in reference to the sugar content of the sap. Look for the opposite branching pattern and the recognizable shape of the maple leaf we are familiar with from the packaging of real maple syrup. Our Sugar Maple tree is located along Teece Avenue in Bayne Park.
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