Maples

There are a number of maple species that can be found on school grounds in Virginia. Red and silver maples are native trees that bloom as early as the last week in February, and produce ripe seed as early as May. Sugar maple and boxelder are also native and follow the earlier maples by a few weeks. The Norway maple looks similar to the sugar maple, but is non-native and produces ripe seed in the summer. Other cultivated species are the Japanese and paper-bark maples. Seeds, buds and flowers all provide food for many kinds of birds and other animals. 

Well over 50 species of insects are known to eat the leaves, bark and twigs of maple. One of the more interesting species is the caterpillar of the cecropia moth, a giant silkworm moth with feathery attenae. Another is the fall cankerworm, a common inchworm. Gall midges leave red and green marks on the leaves of maple. Aphids are also common on maples.  Sapsuckers drill holes in maples and feed on the sap. Heart-rotting decomposers include the honey mushroom and the northern tooth fungus.