By Emily Wei, Lifestyle Columnist
With October behind us, the sidewalks are now carpeted in fallen leaves, marking the season’s shift. I was never a huge fan of fall until this year, for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, and before now, I hadn’t truly appreciated the way nature transformed around me. Now, I find myself captivated by the scenery— especially the trees and their vibrant leaves—as one of my favourite things has become simply walking around and taking it all in. On these walks, I realised that while I could appreciate nature’s looks, I knew very little about what I was actually seeing. So this month, I wanted to share some insights into Nova Scotia’s trees to help you appreciate the nature around you on a deeper level too!
Starting off with the tree whose reputation precedes it: the maple! Featured on our national flag, the maple leaf has become one of the most recognizable symbols in Canada. What some people may not know is that there are actually several different species of maple trees. Each species has its own unique characteristics, from Red to Sugar to Silver to Striped. Red maple leaves have 3 pointed lobes and turn bright red in the autumn months but are otherwise green on the top and a lighter green on the bottom. You may think this is the leaf on our flag, considering our national colours of red and white, however this is not the case! Sugar maple is the iconic symbol we all know, with 5 pointed lobes and much smoother edges than red maples. They also typically turn into a mix of green and red in the fall. True to their name, the sap of the sugar maple tree has the highest concentration of sugar which is why it is often used to make maple syrup! Silver maples have 5 lobes like sugars do but theirs are much skinnier and get their name from their light green underside. Striped maples are characterised by their leaves, which feature three prominent lobes, and their name comes from the reddish-brown bark adorned with dark vertical stripes. Historically, these trees have been used to craft arrows!
With the holidays approaching, it seems only right to mention some pine and spruce tree species. As opposed to maple trees, which are hardwood, pine and spruce trees are softwood. Red pine trees have branches with a reddish hue and have long, straight needles that can easily snap or break off. Despite being called a softwood tree, red pines are commonly used for structural timber due to its strength! On the other hand, Jack pine trees have yellow-green coloured needles that are a bit thicker than red’s needles and are used in paper products. Additionally, white pine needles tend to be in bundles of five and have a bluegreen tint to them. There are 3 main spruce trees native to Nova Scotia including red, black, and white! They can be difficult to tell apart but, similar to the pine trees, differ mostly in their needles. Red spruce needles are yellowgreen whereas black and white needles are blue-green.
Our province is home to so many more species of trees than I mentioned but I hope that you’re able to not only notice the trees the next time you step outside, but also know a bit of the story behind some!
