{"id":11,"date":"2026-04-03T14:41:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/mux300-rworth\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2026-05-04T23:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T03:36:46","slug":"plant-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/mux300-rworth\/plants\/plant-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Maple"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every plant has a story, and every creature has a story about plants.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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The story of the sensible Sugar Maple<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The prominent Sugar Maple is a deciduous tree that live in grassy fields, woodlands, forest edges, and suburban areas. Newer trees have a grayish brown bark that darkens with age. The trunk of the tree supports the the tree’s pipelines that move water and sap. Every growing season the tree produces new bark creating a new ring. The outer bark is dead tissue that protects the living tissue inside. Their seeds are called samaras or often referred to as whirlygigs, whirlybirds, twisters, or wingnuts. Once in autumn when it is cooler outside the leaves turn from a light green to bright orange, red, and yellow. This colder air will also start the production of sap. Algonquin, Cherokee, Dakota, and Iroquoi people historically and still today use maple sap to make syrup and sugar. Porcupines, grouse, turkeys, woodpeckers, and creepers will feed on the insects, sap, and buds. Squirrels, cavity nesting birds, and caterpillars call these trees home. We all know about Sugar Maples, but they are slowly dying off. These trees are vulnerable to invasive insects and increased temperatures, as these maples are moving further north. Eventually their habitat range will cease to exist. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sourced: Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the trees in my backyard. The way they creak at night, shift color in autumn, and support a network of life. They are sturdy and slow. A gentle giant. Trees have always felt like family. I would often sit below our many trees in my yard or in the woods, and be supported by the bark. Below the soil offers comfort and the trees offer compassion. They might listen if you want to share. Wherever you might be, a tree feels like home, protecting you. One of my favorite trees are a pair of giant Sugar Maples at my Grandma’s house. My grandpa put a swing up and we were able to sit below this magnificent tree all summer long. That tree watched me grow up. The tree watched my mom grow up. It still sits outside their house. Now watching my grandparents tend to their garden, and I hope they still sit under the maple during the summer and tell it stories. I know my grandma talks to the flock of Bluejays that sit atop the mighty branches, or the Mourning Dove that coos every morning. That tree has a lot more life to live. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Have you ever sketched a tree, it can bring you ease. Explore the field guide below, and create your own the next time you come across these legendary trees. <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Click the plus sign and explore the parts of this plant! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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