Watching the changing colors of fall leaves is always interesting, and even more so when you recognize the species of trees and begin to understand some of the finer points of variation in color. In these four photographs of Red Maple, all taken within a few days in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, I’ll describe a little of that variation.
Red Maple is one of the most common trees in northeastern North America, and one of the most colorful in autumn. They can be bright pale yellow, or orange, or brilliant scarlet, or maroon. Single individual trees generally have all of their leaves a similar color, but different trees can be strikingly different. Often the extremes of variation can be seen on adjacent trees, and a single pure stand of Red Maples presents a diverse palette of color.
The timing of leaf fall also varies in Red Maple, with some trees losing leaves in September, while other nearby trees retain leaves to late October, a span of at least four weeks. At least some of this variation seems to be tied to growing conditions, with trees growing in wetter areas losing their leaves earlier than those in uplands. Compare the photo below – of Red Maples growing in low-lying swampy soil around a pond – with the photo above taken just two days apart. In mid-October in Massachusetts it’s common to see a swamp filled with leafless Red Maples, while trees around the margins still have brilliant fall colors.
Another major source of variation in fall color in Red Maple is the prevalence of cultivated varieties. Virtually all Red Maples planted in suburbia are commercially available cultivars, often selected for their bright and/or persistent fall color. Whole streets or parking lots may be lined with genetically identical trees. In contrast to wild trees, these clones show almost no variation in color of autumn leaves.
There are plenty of different cultivars available, though, so you will still see lots of variation in the leaves of cultivated Red Maples as you travel along different streets. Below is a photo showing two different Red Maples. The tree in the foreground still has a lot of green in its leaves, weeks later than any of the wild local trees, while the tree in the background has exceptionally bright leaves, brighter than most wild trees.
Sugar Maples have both male and female flowers on the same tree whereas Red Maple trees are either male or female. Male Red Maples turn red in fall and female Red Maples turn yellow to orange.
Ron Pittaway
Minden, Ontario
Well reading that makes me sad. I wanted a red maple colored red and it’s been yellow for eight years. This year there were five bright red leaves on it for several weeks and now it’s all yellow. It there a way to make it go red? Or to turn it into a male tree? When I bought it the seller promised it was a red maple and now I guess he was correct. But I wonder if he knew about male and female tree colors.
Hi Ron, Thanks for the comment – fascinating! I have noticed a similar range of red to yellow colors in flowers of differnet Red Maple trees in the spring, but I didn’t find a strong correlation between color and gender. I never considered the possibility that male and female trees might have different fall colors! I’ll have to watch for this next fall.
— David Sibley
Hi David
It´s a pleasure to open your book in my home country now (Spain) and remind the great variety of nice trees in East Coast. I had your previous books on birds of North America (my favourites books when I stayed for 2 years in Virginia) and now this one about trees is very welcome. Good job!
Best regards from Spain
Jose
It’s my understanding that both Red and Sugar Maples can be either monoecious or dioecious: while some individuals bear only male or only female flowers, some individuals have flowers that are perfect (both male and female reproductive structures). However, the majority of Red Maples do seem to have either male or female flowers, so Ron’s point about leaf color change may well hold true.
Greatly enjoying the beautiful new guide,
Christie Riehl
Princeton, NJ
A couple years ago, we planted a red maple tree labeled “Autumn Blaze”. I had done quite a bit of research because I wanted a certain color in the fall. We have had color two falls now and the color is reddish/brown, slightly darker than I hoped it would be. I was hoping for the brilliant deep orange/yellow hue that I’ve seen around town.
I picked a leaf from a nearby tree like I wanted and one from our tree and they are very similar but ours seems a little darker and it also has more dark flecks that the other leaf has.
Can anyone tell me how to exactly identify the tree that is nearby?
Marty,
That’s a good question, but cultivars are outside my area of expertise. I’d recommend posting the question to a gardening site like Dave’s Garden (no relation to me) or similar.
Good luck and happy tree-watching,
David
I remember learning in school that the spring flower color of a maple is a very good indication of what the fall leaf color will be. For instance, yellow flowers indicate yellow leaves, red flowers – red leaves, etc., etc. Has anyone else heard of this or noticed it?
Hi David, any follow up to the observation about male and female Red Maple leaves turning certain colours in the fall?
I read a Harvard study that named the species as ‘polygamomonoecious’ meaning that sometimes an individual tree will be inconsistent in gender, producing mostly male flowers but some years producing female flowers which then generally fail to develop into fruit. Any thoughts/notes you can add to this? Thanks!
I have followed maples around the world for years. At more than 70 years old and have planted and studied many of the 147 different maple species and hybrids and cultivars, I can assure you that fall color is a very complex matter. There are some statements made here that do not hold up over the natural and introduced range of red maple. This much I do know: Red Maples have had some of the highest sugar content of any trees tested, but the variation of just sugar content of sap between individuals is staggering. A red Maple TRANSPLANTED from one place to another will probably have quite a different fall color on the new site! Soils, aspect, micro-climate, etc. have a tremendous impact of fall color. A weakened or stressed tree will generally put on quite a show of fall color in a moribund state. An example is a tree that has been severely buck rubbed during the fall rutting season will be very red that fall and probably will be girdled so bad that it will die and not even leaf out again. The Harvard study naming the Red Maple as inconsistent in gender is accurate. Usually though a Red Maple is male or female.
I noticed that the maple tree in my yard is very red this fall but i could have sworn that it had yellow leaves last fall. Is this possible or am i just miss remembering???
The same thing seems to be happening in our yard, too. We noticed tonight that a previously yellow maple has bright red leaves this year.
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What the story with some maples — I think — turning red at the tips while the rest of the leaf is still green? As if the tips of each leaf has been dipped in red paint?
A red maple may produce different colored leaves from season to season.
On December 1, 2020, I photographed a red maple with brilliant scarlet leaves in the forest on Taylors Ridge in northwestern Georgia. When I returned a year later to again photograph the tree, it was bright yellow.
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I was led here seeking an answer. My neighbor has two beautiful Maple trees, one turns red in the fall, the other yellow. Those tress are likely the origin of the Maple’s on my lot. However, my trees have leaves that turn yellow and red on the same leaf. Is there any insight as to the genetic reasons for this, or is that even a factor?