Red Maple

Acer rubrum

bright red maple trees in fall
“October Glory” by Hitman, via Flickr. (cropped from original). CC BY-NC 2.0.
green, pointed leaves of the red maple before color change
“Acer rubrum” by Scott Zona, via Flickr. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Ecological Benefits: Attract pollinators such as bees and other insects, supports mammals and birds

Bloom period: flowers in early spring, leave change in fall

Best Areas for Planting: low to high moisture, full sun to part shade; well-drained, acid soils

Natural Habitat: can be found at a diversity of sites of extremely different soil moisture conditions

Most of the species information is from The Virginia Native Plant Society website, which offers free, extensive pdfs for each region of Virginia, highlighting about 100 native species (there are many more!) and helpful additional information for planning personal projects. If you aren’t from Virginia, you can search for similar resources in your state! To explore other resources and advice, navigate to the guidance page.

Visit the homepage to explore other sites and learn more about native plants.