Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Sugar maples tend to grow in moist forests. You will find this sugar maple in the Park Ridge East forest, growing a short distance from a creek bed. Sugar maples do not usually stand out to me since they are such a commonplace tree in North America, but this tree had a coin that had been stuck in it at some point that it is now growing around. I find it fascinating that trees can adapt so well to their environments and what is impsoed upon them: a tiny metal disk stuck in your trunk? No problem, just grow some bark around it.