Nature Note:What Falls in Spring

Leaves fall in autumn,but in spring other things fall.Following pollination,petals from tree flowers fall,and maple keys fall from silver maples.Asian pear petals have been coming down like snow,but the maple keys,which contain the silver maple seed,are still bundled up in the trees.When they fall,many of them will sprout.They have to be one of the most prolific sprouters in the natural world.Here they grow into a northern riverine forest along with slippery elms.