Brisk fall winds, a crunchy walk in the woods and vibrant leaf colors bursting forth on our beautiful sugar maple trees are what I enjoy the most when fall comes. Have you heard of “October Glory?” Maple Trees display their gorgeous fall colors in October, but the sweet, delicious scent of
spring times maple syrup is also on my mind! Candles are so perfect for warming the home atmosphere. Burning a maple or chocolate scented candle is just as wonderful as the waft of scents from baking maple cookies or brownies and a lot less calories! Today, ADK wants to introduce our handmade maple and chocolate candles for fall. Both are a perfect choice before we transition to the scents of the upcoming holiday season!
Types of Maple Trees
A red breath-taking scenery with red leaves pops out for many of us when thinking about maple trees. Out of all, how many of us are aware that there are different types of maple trees? The United States is home to 35% of maple trees out of 130 types across the world. Here, we will summarize five of the most common types of maple trees (see the link below for more details presented by MasterClass).
- Japanese maple trees
- Black maple
- Amur maple
- Vine maple
- Norway maple
- Hedge maple
- Sycamore maple
- Striped maple
- Sugar Maple
A. Japanese Maple Tree
As the name shows, the Japanese maple tree originated in Japan in Asia. It is well-known for its colorful leaf change from golden, to orange, to maroon, to reddish-brown in a certain season. Within this category, there are different types of varieties.
B. Black Maple
Unlike the Japanese maple tree, we are not able to tell the originating country. Black maple is well found in the midwestern United States because of its high tolerance for wintry weather. Moreover, it is viewed as a subspecies of sugar maple. We may identify this type of tree with its unique characteristics: crown and foliage that turn into golden yellow color.
C. Amur Maple
Amur maple is a relatively smaller tree, compared to a black maple. When reaching mutuality, it will reach 30 feet tall while black maple will reach 65 feet. More interestingly, this maple tree can be used to break winds or protect privacy. Small white flowers will bloom from trees after the winter. However, the Amur maple tree can only be seeded in certain areas because it is viewed as an invasive plant in many states in the United States.
D. Norway Maple
Similar to Amur maple, Norway maple has a higher tolerance regarding temperature and soil condition. Many states in the United States also consider it an invasive type because its strong adaptability crowds out other species. In the 1700s, people imported Norway maple to the United States for shading purposes.
E. Sycamore Maple
I consider this species a special type because sycamore maple leaves will not turn orange or red. The color will stay green even when the season of fall arrives. When trees are mature, they will reach up to 100 feet tall. Many of us may find it near the roadways, ocean, or coasts because of its tolerance toward salt.
F. Sugar Maple
This is the queen of the maples for there are many gifts we enjoy from this tree. Not only the beauty of the fall colors, or the long even burning firewood or lumber for beautiful furniture but also the sweet sap of spring that we boil into deliciously sweet maple syrup.
Traditional Usages of Maple Trees
Maple trees can be more than a windbreaker or a tourist attraction. In this section, we will summarize and present some traditional usages of maple trees introduced by Mainly Woodworkers and the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
A. Syrup
As most of us know, we can make syrup out of maple. Generally, people use sugar maple for maple syrup. I still remember the day visiting Vermont a couple of years ago. That day, I was so excited to try out the maple syrup on my breakfast pancakes and later I enjoyed the astounding landscape of snow and fall colors from a cable car above a ski slope.
A dusting of white snow, red, orange and yellow leaves for miles and miles was just astounding to see! According to Mainly Woodwork, maple is a good choice regarding firewood or woodwork because of wood density. It will provide long-lasting heat in winter. The denser the wood is, the longer the burning time it can offer. We can also utilize maple woods in many aspects or make them into a piece of work, such as wooden floors, tables, chairs, and ornaments. The wood grain is light in color and very dense.
B. Treatment
In North America and East Asia, some use maple plants to treat diseases as a traditional remedy. Based on an article posted in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, their studies have found that we can use Acer (also known as maple) to treat rheumatism, hepatic disorders, and pain. More on this topic at their web site if you have further interest.
C. Candle and Fragrance
We are fortunate that as technology improves, many unique scented candles exist in the market for people to choose from. For instance, ocean-scented candles, strawberry-scented perfume, and so much more. As the beginning of Fall is catching up with the end of the summer. We want to introduce you to our Adirondack special handmade scent selections to enhance your experience of the fall season!
Smell-the-Fall Candle
In addition to maple candles, Adirondack Fragrance Farm offers a variety of choices for our beloved customers who like a scent that represents fall. All the selections below are hand-poured candles with soy wax base and natural essential scented oil with the goal of helping each of us to have an exquisite relaxing moment. What exactly are soy wax and its benefits? Check out our recent post “Soy wax candles: 100% fully natural, non-toxic, eco-friendly” to learn about different types of candle wax.
All these choices are great options for you to bring home with or gift your friends and family during this wonderful time of the year to enjoy fall foliage along with the matching scented aroma. If you are already preparing for Christmas, you may want to check out our post, “three ways for you to enjoy the scents of the holiday season.” Thanks for joining us today. ADKers, stay tuned for our upcoming post!