The Maple Tree: Information, History, and Folklore
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When I moved to Maine, one of the very first trees I encountered was the Maple. These trees are everywhere! They are tall, majestic, and flowing trees, moving in the breeze and rustling their leaves when the wind blows. They drop their seeds and my yard becomes a mini forest of maple sprouts — that is until my partner mows the yard and prevents it from becoming a forest. It would be nice, but I really don’t have space for a forest in my backyard!
Different Maple Trees
According to The University of Maine, there are three maple trees that are considered native to Maine. These are the Red Maple, the Sugar Maple, and the Mountain Maple. Each tree has a distinct leaf shape, bark texture, seed shape, and flower. Looking at pictures online from The University of Maine and Maine’s Department of Agriculture, I think the trees in my local area are Red Maples (Acer rubrum), one of the most common maple trees in the state. Of course, I can’t know for sure as I write this because it is Winter and there are no leaves on the trees! I will do my best to identify the tree during the Spring and Fall when the leaves come back and keep you posted!
By Famartin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
The Red Maple’s maximum lifespan is about 150 years, but I have read online that most don’t live more than 100 years because of their thin bark. This makes them easily susceptible to damage from ice storms, snow, animals, and fungi-caused heart rot. They are, however, very tolerant to changes in the soil. They can withstand flooding as well as drought, making them pretty amazing in my eyes. As far as I know, there aren’t a lot of trees or plants that can be both flood and drought tolerant.
The Red Maple is a very attractive plant for squirrels. This doesn’t surprise me because squirrels are everywhere in my area. During the Spring and Summer, they drive my dog wild because I won’t let her chase the squirrels! Other animals that make the Red Maple their home include a variety of birds and insects – honestly, too many to name and figure out here. To be honest, I couldn’t find a list and that’s probably because the tree is so common that just about any animal that lives in a tree could make the Red Maple their home.
By Famartin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Maple Syrup
Though not as commonly used for maple syrup production as the Sugar Maple, the Red Maple can also be cultivated for the production of Maple Syrup. One source says that the sap and syrup across several maple trees were compared and found no difference in their sweetness, flavor, and quality. The only difference between syrup from the Red Maple and other maples is the tapping season.
Once the buds emerge on the tree, tapping season is over due to changes in the chemical structure of their sap which gives the syrup an undesirable flavor. Since Red Maples emerge from dormancy much earlier than other maples, this makes their tapping season very short. If the trees in my yard are, in fact, red maples, I may have to learn more about tapping maple trees for syrup and see if I can get my own syrup!
History and Folklore
The Red Maple has many uses for its bark, wood, and sap. According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the wood is used for things such as furniture, flooring, and musical instruments. It is also excellent wood for fuel, burning well to keep a fire going. They also say, though, that due to the Red Maple’s susceptibility to defects and disease, the timber is often of low quality.
The USDA-NRCS also says that the Indigenous Peoples would use the bark as an analgesic, a wash for inflamed eyes and cataracts, and as a remedy for hives and muscle aches. The tea brewed from the inner bark was used to treat coughs and diarrhea, while colonizers and settlers used the bark to make dyes.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer tells us a story about the maple tree and Nanabozho, the Anishinaabe Original Man. This story imparts the wisdom of hard work and gratitude, reminding us that we can’t take what we have for granted, and sometimes good things must be worked for.
“When Nanabozho, the Anishinaabe Original Man, our teacher, part man, part manido, walked through the world, he took note of who was flourishing and who was not, of who was mindful of the Original Instructions and who was not. He was dismayed when he came upon villages where the gardens were not being tended, where the fishnets were not repaired and the children were not being taught the way to live.
Instead of seeing piles of firewood and caches of corn, he found the people lying beneath maple trees with their mouths wide open, catching the thick, sweet syrup of the generous trees. They had become lazy and took for granted the gifts of the Creator. They did not do their ceremonies or care for one another. He knew his responsibility, so he went to the river and dipped up many buckets of water. He poured the water straight into the maple trees to dilute the syrup. Today, maple sap flows like a stream of water with only a trace of sweetness to remind the people both of possibility and responsibility. And so it is that it takes forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.”
This story serves as a reminder to me that I can’t always sit around and do the fun things. There is work to be done and a life to be lived. Sitting around and ignoring my responsibilities, taking the good things in my life for granted, will only leave me sad and disappointed. There is also a message here of working hard for what you want, something that has to be done with the maple trees in order to harvest the sap to make sweet syrup. Don’t get me wrong, there is immense value in rest and we don’t need to be “productive” all the time, but there is a large difference between resting when you need it and “resting” to avoid responsibility.
By Famartin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
So, thank you, Maple Tree, for the messages and beauty you provide all year!
Sources & More Information
- The University of Maine: Gardening to Conserve Maine’s Native Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid
- Wikipedia: Acer rubrum
- USDA Plant Guide: Red Maple [pdf]
- USDA: Red Maple Publication by Russell S. Walters & Harry W. Yawny
- National Wildlife Federation: The Red Maple
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
What is the Maine Magic series?
One of my goals for 2025 is to learn all I can about the human and non-human spirits who exist around me. I have called this series Maine Magic because, well, it fits! I am learning more about where I live and who I might interact with. In this process, I aim to be a better-educated person and a better witch.
In this series, you will find information about plants, animals, events, and people native to the Maine area, both before it was a state in the US and after. What you will not find is a list of correspondences and ways to work with these human and non-human spirits. That is not the sole purpose of this series. My aim, first and foremost, is to become familiar with who and what is around me. From there, I will develop personal relationships with those spirits I seek out (and who accept me) and work with them in whatever capacity I feel is necessary or relevant.
I hope you follow along!
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2 Comments
Georgia
Thank you for sharing the research you have done! This information is good to have.
Megan Black
Thank you for reading, Georgia! 💖 I’m glad you enjoyed the post!