WILDLIFE OF THE WEEK
The Sugar Maple
Returning to New England for the holidays, I have been delighted to run into another old and familiar friend. Along suburban streets, on old farms, and in protected forests, this lovely tree is a common sight in the Northeastern U.S., and one we’ve got plenty of reason to love: the sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Sugar maples (or “shoogies” as I catch myself calling them) have hard and sturdy wood that has a reputation among woodworkers for being especially beautiful. Beyond the deliciousness of maple syrup, these trees also have among the most beautiful fall coloration in Autumn and provide food and habitat for a wild variety of animals. Because of their tendency to drop large branches and hollow out when they reach an advanced age, they are common cavity trees for woodpeckers, flying squirrels, small owls, and other forest critters looking for an apartment. Although they were once a widespread ornamental and shade tree in New England suburbs, they have fallen out of fashion with urban arborists because they are sensitive to street salt and air pollution. During my childhood, they were more often replaced by non-native Norway or Rock maples. While these trees are also beautiful, they don’t provide the same benefits for wildlife—for example, native caterpillars can’t eat their leaves. Considering that one of America’s most beautiful bugs, the Rosy Maple Moth needs this tree to feed its young, I hope we start to have more of them around. As they age, sugar maples tend to have especially shaggy and textured bark, giving them a stately and wizened appearance. It gives some of my favorite old sugar maples in New England a look of wisdom and authority I have always enjoyed.
A line of planted sugar maples on an old farm in Needham, Massachusetts turning gorgeous colors in the Fall.
Old sugar maples like these, with their beautiful, shaggy bark, are common around old farms in the Northeastern U.S. Many are still tapped for maple sugar!
A hole in a fallen sugar maple I came across earlier this week. It was probably home to a flying squirrel or screech owl before its section of trunk snapped off during a recent storm.
FEATURED BLOG POST
Merry belated Christmas to those who celebrate! This week’s featured post focuses on some fascinating animals from down under: Christmas beetles! These large, often showy and colorful beetles in the scarab family got their name because they become abundant in the middle of the Austral Summer, that is, around Christmastime, in Australia. While I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing any during my naturalist adventures in Queensland and Victoria, seeing them is high on my list for future visits. With their rounded shape, the glossy finish of their elytra (wingcases), and fancy colors, Christmas beetles remind me of living tree ornaments. Learn more about their natural history in Australia, and some of their rather interesting common names, in the link above.
NATURALIST WORD OF THE WEEK
Samara (n.) - A winged nut or fruit of a plant that can disperse by gliding or “flying” through the air. Maple keys are a classic example of a samara, moving further away from their parent tree in even a slight breeze with their helicopter-like “flight”.
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