Maple Tree Flowers

 At the moment here in southern Ontario, the maple trees here are bathed in a light almost fluorescent green which I always thought was the leaves emerging.  But it's not, it's the tiny flowers of the maple trees, take a look below.  Shortly the leaves will unfold, a darker green, providing the canopy.

The photos above are of a Sugar Maple. and by the end of the summer these will form the maple keys we're all familiar with.  I never noticed these until someone pointed them out a few years ago.  At the same time the leaves are starting to emerge and will transform our world into a green one within two weeks.

These three photos are of a Norway Maple.  Same idea, but slightly different shape to the 'flowers', and ultimately there will be a different shape to the maple keys, the easiest way to identify the difference.  

So next time you're walking past any maple trees, take a close look and see if you can see the tiny flowers!