Audubon® Native Silver Maple Treeling

Looking to create bird habitat in a hurry? Silver Maple is the easiest option for you. This eager native shade tree gets right to work. Growing lightning-fast, it soon creates a lofty canopy, where birds can feed, perch, nest, and raise their young. In addition, the foliage hosts a wide array of caterpillars, leafhoppers, and other bugs, which birds such as chickadees and cardinals consider fine dining. Grosbeaks and finches are particularly fond of the seeds. In mature trees, cavities may develop in the trunk, and in rural areas, owls, ducks, and woodpeckers will take up residence there. Get that backyard bird habitat started—pronto!

Native to most of the eastern U.S. and highly adaptable, Silver Maple is a common sight just about everywhere. Its pretty, silver-backed leaves flutter in the wind in hedgerows, on farms, on suburban lots, and even in the heart of the city. In the wild, it occurs most often near water, and there is where it achieves its most luxurious growth. Fun fact: Mature Silver Maple Trees can be tapped for syrup! The sap isn’t as sweet as that of Sugar Maple, so it need to boil longer, but the finished result is just as delicious.

Tiny, bright red Silver Maple flowers are a harbinger of spring, giving us hope that change is in the air and warmer weather is here to stay. Interestingly, the blossoms of a Silver Maple Tree may be all male or all female, or there may be some of each. Even more intriguing, the gender of the flowers can change from year to year. Trees are incredible!