Red Maple (Acer rubrum). Up here in the mountains I’m seeing the peak of autumnal color. If you haven’t noticed, come on up. It’s ubiquitous.

Even down below, in the lowlands, the colors are changing to knockout warmth and brilliance.

Come, take a deep breath, slow down, let go of all that is making you blindly rush around. Autumn is out there waiting for you to notice. It won’t be here long. Take it all in before it’s GONE.

One contributor to the grand rollout of color is the Red Maple. It’s a tree that is native to eastern and central North America, from Quebec to Minnesota south to Florida and east Texas, and is one of the most extensively distributed trees in eastern North America.

It’s a tree that generally grows to 40 – 70 feet and on occasion even to 120 feet tall. Red Maples can be as much as 4 feet in diameter. The bark is a distinctive smooth silvery gray which becomes furrowed as the tree ages.

It’s not particular about its growing conditions growing equally well in swampy areas or in dry areas with poor soil.

Most often its fall coloring is red, or yellow with hints of red. There are wonderful autumn colors out there. Take NOTE!