Nature

A Canopy of Embers

Maryland

The Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the most common and widely recognized trees in eastern North America, growing to heights of 90 feet or more on a straight, commanding trunk. It is often the first of all maples to ignite into brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow each autumn — a fleeting seasonal spectacle that has captivated artists and naturalists for centuries. Its Latin name rubrum simply means "red", a fitting tribute to a tree that bleeds crimson from its flowers in spring to its foliage in fall. Its sap contains sugar and can be concentrated into syrup, though it yields only about half the quantity of its more famous cousin, the Sugar Maple.