My Favorite Maple Tree is Gone

During the first night of our second of four "nor’easter" storms this winter my favorite maple tree fell to the ground from heavy wet snow and near hurricane winds.  It was one of 14 trees we lost that night. 

Now that it’s gone I remember the great photos it has given me.  The inch worm image was a once in a lifetime capture. And this particular tree was always heavily laden with colorful seed pods each May. 

Feeling nostalgic, I did some searching in my Lightroom catalog for images, and came up with a few.

Taken in May, 2008

Olympus C8080 bridge camera with 2/3" sensor

Taken in May, 2014

Sony NEX-6 with I think an old manual focus macro lens

Taken in May, 2014

Sony NEX-6 and unknown manual macro lens

Likey a Tamron 90mm with adapter

Taken in May, 2014

Olympus E-M1 and 60mm macro lens

Taken in May, 2017

Olympus E-M1 and 12-100 F4 zoom @ 54mm

Photo Story: Tons of Maple Tree Helicopters

Our property is surrounded by maple trees.  One of the beautiful things that happens in the spring is that the maples sprout large quantities of little “helicopters”, as we called them as kids. In reality these are seed pods, and they appear before the new maple leaves arrive.

Beautiful colors eventually turn to brown:

Beginning with rich colors of green, pink, red and yellow, the helicopters eventually dry out and loose their color, instead turning to a dried-out tan or brown color.  At that point they loose their touch with the stems to which they’d been attached, and drop to the ground in a twirling motion.  This action is why they are often called helicopters or whirligigs. Where they drop will depend on the wind, as it is often high winds that “set them free”.

"A Squadron of Maple Whirligigs"
Olympus EM-1 with 12-100mm F4 zoom @ 54mm (108mm-equiv)
1/100sec, F4, ISO 200
Processed with Lightroom and Perfectly Clear

A reason for concern:

Of particular concern, however, is the number of helicopters produced.  This particular tree is so dense with seed pods. It’s a “bumper crop”.  But that may not be a good thing. We’ve had drought conditions the last few years and I have learned from an arborist that producing a bumper crop of seeds is often a tree’s way of continuing the species during times of stress, and before the tree dies off.