The middle of February in coastal Mississippi is early spring. OK, late winter, but that’s if you are looking backward, not forward. We deep southerners are not fond of cold. So yes, spring it is! It is also when our earliest blooming trees and shrubs begin to break their dormancy and flower – including the most dramatic of them – Swamp Red Maple, Acer rubrum.
Anyone traveling down the road this time of year is bound to spot the small, bright red flowers twinkling on the ends of bare branches. The contrast with the greens of our evergreen forest is dramatic. And by the time we spot them, the bees and other small pollinators are already on them. These numerous blossoms provide much needed nutrition this time of year.
In the bright sun, these blossoms are typically deep red. But if you pay a bit more attention, you may also spot a range of color, including lighter shades of red, down to a rich bronze hue, that is also dramatic. But try not to blink, because within a week or so, the blossoms disappear, replaced with even more dramatic winged nuts, called samara. In maples, these are paired, hanging from the branches on long petioles that twist in the wind.
The soft nut at the base of each samara is an important food source for a variety of birds and mammals. My backyard Gray Squirrels love them, often sitting for long periods picking them off the branches. Once they are fully formed, the pairs of samaras drop off and twirl down, away from the tree, hopefully finding an open piece of ground to germinate.
It is almost ashamed when the leaves of these trees do start to emerge, obstructing the view of all those samaras hanging like tinsel. But alas, the yearly cycle continues with the newly minted leaves beginning their months-long task of fixing carbon that fuels the growth of these trees, and next year’s crop of seeds.
These leaves also support a wide range of insects and wildlife that depend upon them for food. The evidence is in the chewed edges and holes in each leaf in late fall. But not to be outdone by the samaras, maple leaves put on their own show of color each year. Yes, the beginning of the southern winter when temps and humidity drop.
Swamp Red Maple leaves offer up a kaleidoscope of colors, as they change from green to yellow, to red, and orange, often on the same leaf. This is one of the trees that provides our fall color. Come in with a bang in the spring and out with a bang in the fall. And if you are into folk lore, as my wife Mary’s grandfather was, having a fire-red maple tree next to your house in early winter helped keep you warm.
And by the way, Swamp Red Maples make good landscape plants, growing across a range of wet to moist soils (their typical habitats are swamps) to drier conditions like your backyard. They are fast growing with a pleasing shape and of course their dramatic samaras and leaves.
Enjoy the show while it last.
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
