Welcome to the great midwest. Monday and Tuesday this week the highs were in the 80s (quite summerish 3-4 days ago), right now a sleety snow is falling and there is a good chance of a frost tonight. Spent yesterday moving tender plants inside. Our university's arborist stopped by with a leafy twig and asked if TPP could ID it. Yes, this is part of the service TPP still provides in retirement (experience counts big time). This was not a tree TPP recognized right off, but it had opposite compound leaves with three leaflets and long pink petioles. The buds were long and conical covered with imbricate bud scales, so yes, just as you were thinking, very maple like. A good woody plant key took me straight to Acer, and then on to A. mandshuricum, Manchurian maple. So both our arboretum and herbarium just gained a new species and a voucher. This is an ornamental species, just not real well known. It should turn a nice fall color, if we actually get a fall (as the snow continues to fall).
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