Silver maple is a large and fast-growing tree which makes an excellent choice for wet areas where few other trees can thrive. Its leaves have deep lobes and striking silvery undersides, which shimmer in the wind. Unlike most maples, silver maple and its cousin the red maple fruit in the spring and not the fall. The seeds, buds, and bark of the tree are an excellent and important food source for birds, squirrel, racoon, opossum, owls, woodpecker and various butterflies and moths. Additionally, its sap is edible and can be used to make syrup, though it is not as sugar rich as other maples.