HELICOPTER SEASON

The large Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) in my back yard is in the midst of procreation...which manifests itself in myriad "helicopters" flying away from the parent plant and attempting to find a place to grow. The number of seeds this plant produces is truly astounding. Every centimeter for 100 feet around the tree has a seed in it. And it is just starting.....less than half the seeds produced are down. It's a windy day and that means many more will hit the earth yet today.

EXTRA: A young of the year American Robin (Turdus migratorius), really a member of the Thrush family, searches among the helicopters for delicious insects. Mom is only a few meters away and when she shows up with a worm to stuff in junior's face, he does that wing flapping thing that says to mom...FEED ME!  She will not put up with that behavior for much longer. Once she starts a new brood, junior is on his own.

Best seen in Large.