The Striped Maple

This has got to be one of the strangest Maple trees I’ve ever seen. The first time I noticed we had one on the property was a few weeks ago. I was cutting down an Ash tree and saw an odd “weed” type plant growing next to it. I’d say the tree was about an inch and a half thick and only about ten feet tall. It sort of looks like on of those weird tree/bushes you see on the side of the road. Something that doesn’t grow very tall. If you look at the leaf picture below, you’ll notice that it’s kind of fleshy. That usually tips me off to a low growing plant.

Apparently I was wrong. What I found was, in fact, a tree and a Maple tree to boot. These types of Maples grow over 25 feet tall with a diameter of 8 inches. That’s a somewhat legit tree. It’s not the mighty Oak or anything, but it’s most definitely a tree.

We walked around the woods quite a bit today and now that I’ve identified what we’re looking at, I’m beginning to see these things everywhere. It helps that we’ve got leaves finally growing, because I would most likely pass these guys by. They are very small.

Now that we’ve got the story out of the way, let’s take a look at some pictures. First, here is a nice shot of a Striped Maple leaf:

Now, take a look at a Striped Maple branch or stem:

Have you ever said to yourself, while reading one of my posts, “Damn Jay, you tell some good stories, but I wish I knew what you looked like when you’re out in the woods.”? Well, today’s your lucky day. I’ve got just the picture you need to quench any thirst you’ve got for a handsome man in the woods. Here you go:

Laura took two pictures of me. This one looked “less bad.”