Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

416 Reid Avenue

At first glance this sugar maple tree may appear to be a Norway maple, the most common maple in Coeur d’Alene. The difference between the two trees is much more evident in the fall. The sugar maple leaves add tints of apricot, burnt orange, and scarlet to their clear yellow. In contrast, the Norway maples are a uniform yellow color.

Sugar maple is best known for the sweet syrup and sugar distilled from its sap. The trees are "tapped" in late winter as the sap begins to rise. Since it takes between 30 and 40 gallons of sap to yield one gallon of maple syrup, one tree would hardly satisfy a serious sweet tooth.

Nominated by: Yvonne Bright