I also love trees! Is your photo a Vine Maple?

Yes, it is a Vine Maple. The photo was taken this past week at the Stilliquamish River, a favorite place in western Washington. I am interested in native trees but also exotics and am also writing a book about the arboretums of the United States. What is your background as far as trees are concerned?

I'm into trees as a hobby. I think they're beautiful. They make great photography subjects, too.

Last weekend, I discovered that the lovely leopard spots I've been seeing on Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) leaves are the work of a fungus called Speckled Tar Spot (Rhytisma punctuatum). True to its Latin name, this fungus makes little speckled marks like periods on the leaves! Have you seen this? I got some nice pictures of it.

I like the native trees, but I'm trying to branch out (so to speak) and learn more about cultivated exotics. I love Deodar Cedars, Monkey Puzzles, and many others. I'm always excited to find a cultivated tree I haven't met before. Do you have some favorites?

Thank you for the information about the black spots on the maples--I have seen them.

For the past year-and-a-half I have been researching and writing a book on the arboretums of the United States. The book includes 33 arboretums. I took many photos and found some new "favorite" trees in the central and eastern United States. I really like the hickories, the beeches, and the birches, the latter making great photographic subjects.

I like cultivars as well, particularly the crabapples and the variations on the European Beech which have purplish to red-colored leaves. Have you seen any of these?

And, being from the Pacific Northwest, the conifers are always special to me, particularly the firs such as the Noble Fir and Grand Fir.

I put a pin in my favorite red European Beech! It's on top of Queen Anne, on the south side of Big Howe Park. So gorgeous! I also like red Norway Maples.

Other trees I like include Catalpas (pretty tree with a pretty name!), Paulownias (cool flowers, leaves, and pods), and Albizias (still blooming, even now!).

Have you read Arthur Lee Jacobson's "Trees of Seattle"? Love that book.

Care to Harnu-pin your favorite trees, in Seattle or elsewhere? I think you can hashtag them for easy reference.

Have you traveled abroad? I went to Costa Rica last summer and was overwhelmed by the variety of trees! Fantastic.

Is your name a pun on "sumac"?

Cheers!

We have sold some trees through a small plant business, and the Albizias are always popular--we collected the seeds in California. I think this species does not really prefer the cool winters in the Pacific Northwest but eventually establishes itself. I agree that the cultivars of the Norway Maple are especially beautiful, and the eastern Sugar Maples are stunning in autumn. Another favorite tree, particularly in autumn, is the Tupelo, or Black Gum. We have started this tree from seed as well.

I am not certain how to "pin" favorite trees on Harnu?

Actually, my name is a concatenation of my first and last names, rather than "sumac"!

There is an excellent collection of Linden trees from both Asia and Europe at the Washington Park Arboretum.