This is the largest Maple I've got. Wondering what kind it is exactly. Seems different than the Reds.
Red Maple. I can't see the leaves very clearly in this picture, but the tree appears to be setting seeds now. Sugar and Black Maples set seed in the fall. Silver and Red Maples make seeds in the spring. Those don't look like the big seeds of Silver Maple, so I think you have a Red Maple. The bark on Red Maples is highly variable; some are pretty smooth, others very shaggy.
Ok, kinda' what I thought based on the leaves. This bark is more furrowed than the other trees....maybe because it's older and larger? Good info.
Red maple will throw you like that. One tree is slick with no furrows and the next one could be mistaken for shagbark hickory at a quick glance. And the two trees could be the same size right next to each other so there isn't a defined variable that I am aware of to determine what makes the bark vary so much.
Red Maple leaves can vary quite a bit too. Some produce leaves with 3 lobes and shallow gullets, like in your pic, and some will have 5 with deep gullets, appearing more like a silver maple.
Dave, I think that is what most of the maple is in your area. But not too far from you there will be lots of hard maples.
