Maple Tree

The maple tree is a kind of tree known for its star-shaped leaves and its sweet sap. There are about 130 different species of maples around the world. Most of them grow in the cool forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. Some maples stay small, like shrubs. Others grow more than 100 feet tall, taller than a 9-story building.

Maple leaves are easy to recognize. They usually have five pointed lobes that spread out like fingers on a hand. The leaf of the sugar maple is so famous that it appears on the national flag of Canada. Maples grow well in places with cold winters and warm summers.

In the fall, maple leaves put on one of nature's best shows. The leaves turn bright red, orange, and yellow before they drop. This happens because the green chemical called chlorophyll fades away as the days get shorter. Other colors that were hiding in the leaf all summer finally show through. People travel hundreds of miles each fall just to see the maple forests of New England and eastern Canada.

Maple seeds are also famous. They grow in pairs joined at one end, with thin papery wings on each side. When they fall, they spin through the air like tiny helicopters. Kids call them "whirlybirds" or "helicopter seeds." The spinning helps the seeds drift far from the parent tree, so new maples can grow in fresh ground.

The most famous gift from maple trees is maple syrup. In late winter, when nights are still freezing but days are warming up, sugar maples push sweet, watery sap up through their trunks. People drill small holes in the bark and collect the sap in buckets or tubes. They boil the sap down for hours over a hot fire. Most of the water turns to steam, and what is left is thick, golden maple syrup. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.

Native peoples in eastern North America were the first to make maple syrup, long before European settlers arrived. They taught the newcomers how to tap the trees. Today, the state of Vermont and the province of Quebec produce most of the world's maple syrup. Quebec alone makes about 70 percent of it.

Maples are also planted in parks, yards, and along city streets because they grow quickly and give good shade. A healthy sugar maple can live for 300 years or more.