If ingested by a dog, cat, or horse, the red maple leaves will impair red blood cell function and may cause abdominal pain, change in urine color, darkened eye and mouth membranes, dog founder (inflamed paw), lack of appetite, and lethargy.

Toxicity. Horses must eat 1.5 to 3 pounds of dried or wilted maple leaves per 1,000 pounds of bodyweight to become sick. Fresh maple leaves aren’t toxic. Dried maple leaves can remain toxic for four weeks, but they aren’t generally believed to retain toxicity the following spring.

The toxin in red maple leaves has never been identified, but after eating red maple leaves, horses develop severe anemia that results in weakness, depression, pale to yellow mucous membranes and dark brown to red urine due to the hemoglobin being released when the horse’s red blood cells are destroyed.

Field Maple, Guelder Rose, Hornbeam, Cherry Plum, Dogrose, Sweet Briar, White Ramanas Rose and Red Ramanas Rose, Hazel and Common Dogwood. Stay away from plants such as Spindle, any of the Buckthorns, Holly and Blackthorn. They may be fine for other livestock, but they are not suitable for equine hedges.

Red maple trees, also known as Acer rubrum, are toxic to horses but nontoxic to dogs, cats and humans. Homeowners with horses should avoid using red maple trees in their landscaping. All parts of the plant are considered poisonous, but leaves (particularly wilted leaves) are the most deadly.

The inner bark of maples can be eaten raw or cooked — another survival food source! Even the seeds and young leaves are edible.

Maple Syrup The best-known form of edible tree sap is that of the maple tree. The sucrose-rich sap is so sweet and tasty that it is a feature of breakfasts and snacks across North America and many other parts of the world. Experienced maple tappers can collect as much as 80 gallons of sap from one tree in a year.

The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) is most com- monly used in maple sugaring, but all maples produce sap that can be converted to maple syrup. Though not as high in sugar content as the sugar maple, the sap of bigleaf maple trees (Acer macrophyllum) grown in the Pacific Northwest produces excellent syrup.

Maple is an important food source for wildlife. The wood of maples varies among species and is generally light in colour. Maple wood is used for furniture, flooring, woodwork, plywood, and firewood. Most species produce sap that can be used to produce sugar.

The average lifespan is only 80 to 100 years. The oldest ones may reach 200 years of age, but this is extremely rare. However, red maples can start producing seeds at just four years old.

300 to 400 years

Thus, those trees are often denser and sturdier than silver maples. The average silver maple lifespan can be over 130 years, but most only live to 35 years at maximum in an urban setting.

An over-abundance of samaras sometimes means the tree experienced some sort of “stress” the previous year, so producing a bumper crop of seeds is the tree’s way of carrying on the species, should that stress continue and that particular tree not survive.

The abundance of these seeds, also affectionately called helicopters, means it is a mast year. Sometimes when trees drop their fruit, such as nuts, acorns or maple samaras (whirlybirds) in great numbers they can be dangerous, disgusting, or just a nuisance to clean up.

Red Maples can produce all male flowers, all female flowers, or some of both. Male flowers have long stamens that extend beyond the petal and are covered in yellow pollen at the tips. In the female flower it is the stigma that extends past the petals, ready to catch pollen.

More commonly referred to as “helicopters,” “whirlers,” “twisters” or “whirligigs,” samaras are the winged seeds produced by maple trees. All maples produce samaras, but red, silver and Norway maples often produce the largest quantities.

A broadleaf weed-control product containing 2,4-D or dicamba will kill maple seedlings as with any other weed. For those who want a less toxic option, there is a relatively new active ingredient on the market called Iron HEDTA, a water-soluble form of iron that kills most broadleaf weeds.

How to Get Rid of Maple Seeds

1. Shake shrubs and other sturdy plants in the garden with a gentle tap from the back of a leaf rake.
2. Rake the remaining seeds from the ground with a leaf rake.
3. Bag and discard the seeds for best weed control.