In the autumn, the first tree to shed its leaves is the maple, I think. (The oak is the last.) When we were living in Sackville we planted a couple of maple trees on our lawn that had been growing on a roof on the local university campus. (Some tall maple had been shedding leaves on the roof for years and produced not just seelings but the ground for them to grow in.)
March is maple syrup season. I read that what draws out the sap is thawing and refreezing, which causes it to expand and contract in turns. With fruit trees, it's better to plant them where they won't keep re-thawing, since that can cause uprooting, so they sometimes get planted on the north side of a hill. (Robert Frost wrote a poem about that.) But sugar maples are better for the south side!
The maple leaf is a symbol of Canada. We have quite a few brand names like Maple Leaf meat and Maple Leaf Mills flour. And a maple leaf is in the middle of our fine national flag. (The shape looks easy to trace, but it isn't.) Does it remind anyone of a marijuana leaf?
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