What’s with the maple trees this year?

We were showered in maple seeds like you wouldn’t believe this May — and some trees still have seeds clinging to them. The seed pods, what we call whirlygigs, showered us all month in quantities we’ve never seen before.

We’ve lived here for twenty-five years and have never seen anything like it. My neighbor used his leaf blower to clear his driveway. Our deck had a solid layer covering it and I was saved from sweeping only because we’ve had good, strong breezes almost every day. My husband claims trees that never before put out seeds did so, and that all the producers were triple-ladened this years.

I’m tempted to declare that the trees in our aging neighborhood had perhaps matured in peek numbers. When these homes were new, its middle class owners couldn’t afford the less messy male trees. But everyone wanted to landscape, to make their mark on these, their plots of land, their proof of having arrived, and so many female trees were bought and planted. But I’m not sure I can make the claim. The difference between this year’s and last year’s seed crop is just too extreme.

We had our final proof, however, when my husband tackled a gutter cleaning ahead of predicted storms over the weekend. What you see here is what came from our gutters. Maple seeds. Gallons of them.

So, maple trees, what gives?