Pushing up green: A photographic study

Large-format camera lens (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Image Gallery of the Agricultural Research Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture))

March 25, 2014 | by Doug van Hemessen

Silver maple seedlings emerge from a swamp in Grey County, Ontario. This species is a common component of treed swamps in the deciduous forest of eastern Canada but very rare beyond New Brunswick. Flowers in the spring mature into seeds quickly and germinate soon after falling.

This image is from late autumn. Silver maple likes to have its feet wet.

I have always liked the description from R.C. Hosie's Native Trees of Canada (now out of print): "The silver maple has a hollow trunk which makes the tree appealing to small boys, animals and birds."

Silver maple (Photo by Doug van Hemessen, NCC staff)

About the Author

Doug van Hemessen is the stewardship coordinator for NCC in Nova Scotia.