Monstrous Old Boxelder Traditional Cache

Monstrous Boxelder ( Acer Negundo)

is just one of many here, and not the biggest one. When you see the seeds you realize it’s really a Maple, not poison ivy, that the leaves look like.

This is a P&G from the trail parking off Springhouse Rd.

Boxelder is a native, fast-growing maple tree. It is found commonly on river floodplains and along lakeshores and streams, but also grows in young hardwood forests on upland sites. Boxelder is very soil adaptable and is an aggressive colonizer that often grows in fence rows, in abandoned fields, and in vacant or disturbed urban lots.

Although this species is fast-growing and tolerant of drought and flooding, it is of little value in horticultural landscapes. It has limited ornamental appeal and its brittle, weak wood is easily damaged in wind and ice storms.

Flowers and leaves emerge from mid-April to late May. Trees are either male or female and yellow-green wind-pollinated flowers add colorful interest to spring landscapes.

Boxelder is the only native maple that has a compound leaf. 3-7" leaves made up of 3-7 toothed leaflets are produced opposite of each other along branches. 

In mid-summer, female trees attract boxelder bugs that can become a nuisance in landscapes.

In August and September, the winged nutlets or samaras ripen on female trees. They are shed through autumn and winter and germinate readily in spring to produce seedlings that may become a nuisance weed in gardens. Fall color is yellow.

Cultivars have been developed with variegated or colorful foliage, improved plant habit, and red fall color.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, “small” pill bottle that you have to push hard to open and close. It holds a log in a plastic bag, with two rubber bands; one for the log and one to make a neck on the bag, to make it easier to grab to pull out of the bottle. Please try to remember to put it back that way, so no one is tempted to use tweezers. They kill the plastic. Please BYOP and enjoy!