Two types of leaves exist on a lot of trees, not all, but enough to frustrate you if you’re using google to look up pictures of leaves and the same species comes up with several different looking leaves. Now, do not confuse this a picture of what someone claims to be a sugar maple with seven points vs. another picture of one with three points. The only major differences in the leaves are thickness of the leaf and how wide or narrow the curves are between the points.
I’m honestly not sure how much this post will help people. Hopefully, I am not the only one previously oblivious to this obvious piece of information. With that said, tree identification is a wonderful way to add depth to perception of the natural world around them. You don’t call all your friends Bob or Sue, and you know how different each friend is. The trees, ferns, flowers, birds, etc. are the same and learning at least a little something about them enhances the exploratory experience, even if it’s just learning that not all your friends are fat or skinny! Happy trails, guys.