The Striped Maple Tree
The Striped Maple Tree is the smallest and most uncommon of the four Maple species native to Maine.
The Striped Maple is dwarfed by the popular Sugar Maple, which can grow over 115 feet tall, collectively producing 575,000 gallons of syrup annually, and adding $55 million to the State’s economy. Smaller in stature than the more numerous Red and Silver Maples, the diminutive Striped Maple produces no syrup, and its wood is not suitable for lumber.
It is considered more of a bush, growing only 10-20 feet tall, occasionally planted as a decorative ornamental shrub, but this runt child of the Maple family grows silently in the forest, unnamed and unappreciated.
What do you love about this particular creature? What do they reveal to you about God and our faith?
Henry David Thoreau, the author of Walden, wrote, “He who hears trees and flowers,
and does not know their names, is like a traveler who, in a strange country, does not
learn the names of the places.” He believed that understanding nature fosters a deeper appreciation and spiritual connection to our physical world.
Naturalist Rachel Carson wrote, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
John Muir prophetically mused, “Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a
new way of life.”
Let’s get out in the woods together.
Author
Fr. Jack Fles and family moved to Maine in 1993 to serve the church, “Committed to Christ and Caring For Creation,” and sail the Maine coast from Portland to Canada.