Maple Family
"Sugar Maple"  "Hard Maple" "Rock Maple"
(Acer saccharum)

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food."  And it was so.  God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  Genesis 1:30-31

The Sugar Maple is the state tree of Wisconsin and also of New York, West Virginia, and Virginia.

It is a desired shade and ornamental tree with brilliant yellow, orange, and red leaves in fall.

In early spring the sap rises from the roots and swells the buds that have been on the bare winter branches.

Then people tap the trees to make maple syrup.
Native Americans had special ceremonies as they traveled to areas where they gathered the sap.  Pioneers also tapped trees by drilling holes in the trunk and inserting follow wooden tubes.  The sap dripped slowly into buckets.

Today metal pipes are inserted into the trees and plastic tubes take the sap from the trees right to sugar camps where it is boiled down to make syrup.

A single tree can produce from five to sixty gallons of sap in a year, but it can take up to forty gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup.

Think about how many drops of sap it took to be evaporated into the syrup for just one plate full of pancakes!

Bees, some butterflies, and other insects are attracted to the sap as well as to the flowers on the tree.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the many different ways in which you provide food for people and animals.  Help us to appreciate your goodness.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Autumn's Face

Leaves and water
Mixed and brushed
Giving earth
A brilliant blush.

Loretta Kuse

 Sugar Maple Grove

 Sugar Maple Tree in Fall

Young Sugar Maple Trees on the Forest Floor

 Sugar Maple Leaves Against an Autumn Sky

 


Sugar Maple Leaf

Decaying Sugar Maple Leaf

 Sugar Maple Leaf With Water Droplets on It

 Sugar Maple Leaf With Water Droplets on It