Red Maple Seed Development
Acer rubrum setting seeds along the Blue Ridge Parkway - these images are from different trees, but all growing around the same area. If you are close to a female red maple, you can watch this process every spring.
Top left: female flowers before fertilization
Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you'll have to watch the trees around late March into early April for this stage. They start flowering earlier at the lower elevations and later at the higher elevations. The young flowers are all bunched up together close to the stem. They don't stay very long like this.
Top right: female flowers after fertilization
Two obvious changes that happen rapidly after the flowers get pollinated are the elongation of the flower stalk for each flower so they no longer appear closely bunched together but rather as a hanging bouquet of flowers and the appearance of two "ears" that will develop into the characteristic wings of the wind-dispersed fruits.
Bottom left: developing fruits as leaf buds are opening
These maples flower before the leaves come out, so at this stage the trees look like they have tiny red foliage (see insert in the middle), coloring the mountain slopes along the Blue Ridge Parkway so intensely that I've had people comment on the "nice fall color" on pictures taken in April. The freshly emerged young leaves often look red as well.
Bottom right: mature fruits when leaves are out
As the fruits mature, they lose some of their intense red color and the trees turn green. This last picture was taken in early May along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it can take until June in the higher elevations. Eventually, the mature fruits (called samaras) are dispersed by wind blowing the seeds around like little helicopters. You can see these flying everywhere along the Parkway in May.
Red Maple Seed Development
Acer rubrum setting seeds along the Blue Ridge Parkway - these images are from different trees, but all growing around the same area. If you are close to a female red maple, you can watch this process every spring.
Top left: female flowers before fertilization
Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you'll have to watch the trees around late March into early April for this stage. They start flowering earlier at the lower elevations and later at the higher elevations. The young flowers are all bunched up together close to the stem. They don't stay very long like this.
Top right: female flowers after fertilization
Two obvious changes that happen rapidly after the flowers get pollinated are the elongation of the flower stalk for each flower so they no longer appear closely bunched together but rather as a hanging bouquet of flowers and the appearance of two "ears" that will develop into the characteristic wings of the wind-dispersed fruits.
Bottom left: developing fruits as leaf buds are opening
These maples flower before the leaves come out, so at this stage the trees look like they have tiny red foliage (see insert in the middle), coloring the mountain slopes along the Blue Ridge Parkway so intensely that I've had people comment on the "nice fall color" on pictures taken in April. The freshly emerged young leaves often look red as well.
Bottom right: mature fruits when leaves are out
As the fruits mature, they lose some of their intense red color and the trees turn green. This last picture was taken in early May along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it can take until June in the higher elevations. Eventually, the mature fruits (called samaras) are dispersed by wind blowing the seeds around like little helicopters. You can see these flying everywhere along the Parkway in May.