I spent a few days last week just north of Monterey, Highland County, Virginia. Pure heaven. This view is the backyard of the place where I stayed, and a grand old Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). So many Sugar Maples there in the mountains.

Sugar Maples are native to eastern Canada and northeastern United States. And are plentiful in the upper elevations of my mountain.

Autumn is a great season to find them, glowing. In this image they’re accented by the dark undulating trunks of Sassafras trees.

Of the 132 species in the genus Acer, which are the Maples, the tree with one of the longest lifespans is the Sugar Maple which can live for 200 to 400 years.

Given the Sugar Maple’s long life it can grow to be quite large. One of the largest known is 124 feet tall and a diameter of 18 feet, though in normal forest conditions they can reach a height of 70 to 110 feet and a diameter at breast height (4.5 feet from the ground) of 2 to 3 feet. I’ve not found any here at this elevation and planted a few several years ago. I’m looking forward to seeing them get mighty tall with a nice diameter.