Shade and shelter - the Silver Maple
A new autumn design for Canada’s beloved maple leaf!
Mintage: 20,000 Composition: 99.99% pure silver Finish: bullion (with coloured maple leaves on the reverse, brilliant effigy on the obverse) Weight (g): 31.39 Diameter (mm): 38 Edge: serrated Certificate: serialized Face value: $5 Artist: Stan Witten Reverse: A cluster of the Silver Maple’s leaves fluttering in an autumn breeze. Obverse: Effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
2006 Silver Maple Leaf Coloured Coin—Silver Maple
Found in areas of New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, the Silver Maple (Acer Saccharinum) is a fast growing deciduous tree that can shoot up to 35m high with a diameter of 100cm, and can live 130 years or more. In addition to providing shade to many an urban street, the Silver Maple also provides shelter to animals such as squirrels and racoons because its trunk is often hollow. For Silver Maples residing near streams, swamps and lakeshores, these openings also provide wood ducks and other birds with a place to nest. Silver Maple is the first maple tree to bloom in North America, starting as early as February and continuing until May. As beautiful as it is in autumn, with leaves turning a lovely muted yellow, in spring the Silver Maple is also known for its heavy seed fall, having one of the maple’s largest annual seed crops. And because the Silver Maple’s fruits are primarily dispersed by wind, the seeds tend to spread out over a large distance, littering every nearby street and yard in its path!