A maple is a maple is a maple?

Acer platanoides

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I'm sure I've been talking about my maples before – but since I can't hear your protests, I'll bring up the subject again.
We have mainly one kind of maple here, Acer platanoides. I'm not talking about parks with all kinds of planted trees, but out in the woods. So in 1982 I dug up five small red maple (Acer rubrum) saplings in New England, packed them in my carry on board luggage and smuggled them into the country. One of the trees died at a young age, but the other four are thriving.
Although a maple is a maple and the leaves have more or less the same shape – they are quite different. To me, used with the platanoides' greenish flowers, the red maples red flowers are very exotic. And when there is a red halo around the red maples in the spring, I know that I only have to wait more week for the platanoides to bloom.
Now when both the red maples and my endemic trees are turning red, I find it fascinating to see how different they are. The platanoides isn't as bright red as its American sister – it has a more modest brownish red color.

Acer rubrum