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If left unchecked, maple tree root systems can damage cement work, and trees too close to buildings can pull off paint, siding, or roof shingles as they grow.Īs soon as you see maple tree seeds begin to fall, you need to spring into action to start the clean up process. Doing so helps keep maple seedlings from sprouting where you don’t want them too. Where should I look for maple seedlings?Ĭlearing away fallen maple tree seeds isn’t just important for helping to keep your lawn tidy. It’s a very efficient means of plant reproduction. When that snow finally melts, these seeds have ideal conditions in which to slowly germinate.Īnd, because each helicopter carries two seeds, each individual helicopter’s chances of surviving and finding a place to grow are that much better. But for those that survive until winter, thick blankets of snow insulate the seeds from cold and animal hunger. Many seeds lose their potency or are eaten as food by hungry animals. When they fall, helicopter seeds can be scattered and fly a fair distance by the wind as opposed to other samaras with just one wing. So with all the work that other trees and bushes create over the year, why is it that there always seems to be so many maple tree seeds every year? The answer is that maples are especially good at reproducing themselves. Don’t even get us started on all the leaf raking that has to happen during the fall either. Anyone with a Rose of Sharon bush in their landscaping knows that all of those beautiful summer blossoms require some clean up work – now and later.
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Why are there so many maple tree seeds?Īll trees require some amount of work and clean up during the year. Sugar Maple Seedlings: The sugar maple tree has bright green leaves with five lobes that have no jagged edges. Red Maple Tree Seedlings: The red maple is named for its red flowers, red fruit, red twigs, and, of course, its brilliant red fall foliage. Japanese Maple Seedlings: These are the brilliant, bright red maple trees that may have fern-like leaves.
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Here are some of the maple tree seedling varieties you may find in your lawn and how you can tell them apart. Of the 14 varieties, however, there are three that you are most likely to find in your lawn. Each one produces helicopters, but because there are so many different types and the differences in how they look, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them. There are 14 different varieties of maple trees common in North America. Are there different types of maple seedlings? Maple trees are the only trees that drop true helicopter seeds, making them unmistakable. While other trees such as ash trees and elm trees produce samaras of their own, their seeds are only one wing. Each winged section is technically known as a samara, which blow away from their trees as they attempt to find, purchase and grow into a maple tree one day themselves. These helicopter seeds consist of two conjoined wings, each surrounding a seed. Regardless of what you call them, everyone knows the signature twisting, swirling, winged seeds that fall from maple trees every year. Maple tree seeds go by different names like “helicopters” or “whirlers” depending on what you called them when you were a child.
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