Thanks for the maple information marlin!  Very informative.  The red maples really stand out during late September when they are the first to turn color.  I think I found the last remaining leaves on our late October trip.

I always liked the small-sized Moose or Mountain Maple from the BWCA and really like the bright orange color they turn in the Fall.  We also saw them in the mountains of Virginia where we lived out East.

I was wondering about the difference between the Red Maple and the Sugar Maple (acer saccharum) that's the emblem on the Canadian flag, that has a similar range up through the area and I'm curious about the variety the Ojibwa in MN depended on the sap for maple syrup.  I know that in Duluth and the up farther north along the Laurention Divide Ridge we get spectular red colors in the fall.  I assume red maple, or maybe both, but I'm not sure.  Any thoughts?  May be I need to start a new thread.  

starwatcher