In the case of maple trees, the characteristic shapes of their leaves offer natural rather than artificial clues for recognizing perceived trees as maples.
This was particularly true for females, with the incidence of supernumerary instars increasing from balsam fir (5%), toward eastern hemlock (40%) and sugar maple (90%).
For males, larval development was significantly longer on sugar maple compared with the two coniferous species, but similar for balsam fir and eastern hemlock.
The entire interior of the performing space is constructed from maple, which no doubt contributed to the lustrous sound the orchestra produced.
On sugar maple, 50% of the males and 90% of the females went through five instars, with the remaining individuals going through four larval instars.
It is a red maple leaf flaming out at the end of its life, revealing an incredibly rich and complex network of branching veins.
Perhaps, in the full glare of a cloudless summer day, maples display themselves as they truly are.
Certainly, under such conditions, most viewers would have no trouble whatsoever identifying maples by the distinctive shape of their leaves.
