Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple)

Recorded in Seattle, Washington, USA by David E. Stanford on 12 May, 2025, in a sedate residential neighborhood on a gusty afternoon in late spring with contact mics attached to branches capturing both the sounds of the tree and its surroundings.

Images by David E. Stanford

Japanese Maple trees are small, deciduous, flowering trees or large shrubs with palmately lobed leaves. Native to Japan, Asia, and southeast Russia, they’re widely cultivated in temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. They can grow up to 30 feet (9 metres) high, with the tree captured on this recording being around 17 feet (5 metres) high.

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