Pep Talk From A Maple Tree

   Resiliency is one of those things that I have always admired in folks....or in anything for that matter.  Being able to bounce back after a traumatic event takes toughness.  Toughness is what it is going to take to get this country out of the mess it is currently enduring.  

  I was out back in the creekbed this afternoon when I came across something that made me believe that there is hope.  A red maple tree had been severely damaged by a storm this past fall.  The tree had suffered many broken limbs but there was nothing I could do to remedy the situation.  For that matter, I have not been able to even get back here to survey the damage until now.  One branch on the tree had been broken but not completely severed from the trunk.  The part that would have been reaching for the sky was now nigh on touching the ground.  At first, it saddened me to see my beautiful red maple so broken but, on closer inspection, I gained great hope from the tree.  That branch, although battered and torn, had bloomed.  The tiny samaras were starting to form.  These seeds would soon ripen then fall to the ground to give a new start to life.  Regardless of what the tree endured, it was still trying.  It did not give up to the enemy.  It endured.  It survived.  It reproduced and will make the woods great again.  Life is good.  Don't give up!

Tiny, Red Helicopters!

  Down behind the canebrake, there is a good stand of red maple trees.  Usually, these trees are still dormant during February and do not set their samaras until late March.  Our very short winter (which lasted a whopping four weeks or so) and the sudden onset of warm (almost hot!) weather has made most of the trees start to bloom and even set fruit.  The maples have the woods ablaze with their bright red samaras making the hikes back to that part of the property even more enjoyable.  

  Samaras are actually the seeds of the maple tree.  These are sometimes erroneously identified as flowers which is easily understood when viewed from a distance.  The paper thin, winglike structures have a hard seed at one end and are usually in pairs.  These wings and being paired allow the seeds to act like little helicopters when a good stiff wind knocks them from the tree.  The seeds are airborne for a quite a distance before sinking to the ground.  Their flight takes them far from the parent tree. This spacing lets the trees grow large and strong.

  Red maples are somewhat invasive as they make thousands and thousands of seeds each year.  Not too many critters eat the seeds like they do acorns and pine nuts.  The sheer number of seeds that germinate coupled with the trees' ability to grow in any soil type lets them soon take over a forest.  Here, there are many maples far up on the hill where the soil is dry and just as many down in the watery creek bed.  The trees have no preference where they take root.  Some even survive in the salty marshes.  

  My afternoon hike surprised me with the maple samaras but the threat of stormy weather tonight may see the trees stripped of their glory by morning.  The high winds and torrential rains will most likely have tiny, red helicopters flying all over the hillside!

Wood Sprite Market

  When I was a tyke, Pop used to take me with him when he would plow the fields.  I would play in the soft dirt while he plowed.  Since I was out in the middle of the field, it was easy for him to keep an eye on me.  He could work and I could play.  This was a grand deal for Mom, as well, as she could either get a bit of rest or get some sewing accomplished.  I had a delightful time playing in the dirt but occasionally, I would wander close to the woods just to inspect some flower or small critter.  Pop kept a watchful eye out on me but let me explore.  The old dog would always be at my side so all was safe.

  One of my favorite trees was the Red Maple.  Even before the leaves budded out, the "wings" would turn the tree bright red.  That red would stand out against the darkness of the surrounding woods.  I remember searching the ground beneath the tree for the "sprite wings".  To any person in the know, these sprite wings were actually the samaras or winged seeds.  The double wings allow the samara to rotate when it falls from the tree.  This rotation gives the seeds an extra boost as they float on the wind.  This is to ensure there is plenty of space for the seed to take root.  But!  In my wonderful imagination, these were sprite wings and the maple tree was sort of like some immense shopping market where sprites could buy new wings once theirs became tattered from use.  (We all know that sprites do not grow their own wings, now don't we?)  Anyway, to say the least, I was always fascinated by the winged seeds.

  Today, I was just as enamored with the Red Maple samaras.  It was late afternoon when I was hiking down behind the canebrake.  A dozen or so raucous blue jays were trying to scare off the Cooper's Hawk and I wanted a photograph.  Sorry to say, I never made it to observe the hawk.  The setting sun caused the Red Maple to be ablaze with beauty! My interest immediately turned to the winged seeds.  What a flood of memories hit my brain!  I was taken back to the woods behind the fields! Those bright wings just dangling on the limb waiting for a wood sprite made me smile.  Yep, sometimes it pays to have an overactive imagination.....and happy memories.