box elder (Acer negundo) observed in Western Ave, Green Bay, WI, US
iNaturalist: voyagerlong
Urban Ecology
Box elder is one of the few native trees that colonizes disturbed urban edges and floodplains where almost nothing else will grow, making it a quiet workhorse for anyone trying to establish a naturalized area on a tough site.
Someone spotted and photographed a box elder — a scrappy, fast-growing native maple — along a street in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the iNaturalist community confirmed the ID to research quality. Box elders are often dismissed as weedy, but they're genuinely native to much of North America and play a real role in rough urban landscapes. This kind of observation helps scientists and land managers track where these trees are actually thriving.
Key Findings
Research-grade observation confirmed by the iNaturalist community in Green Bay, WI (Western Ave corridor)
Box elder (Acer negundo) is a native North American maple tolerant of compacted, wet, or disturbed urban soils
Citizen-science sightings like this contribute to range and urban ecology datasets tracked by ecologists and conservationists
chevron_right Technical Summary
A box elder tree was observed and confirmed as research-grade on iNaturalist in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This citizen-science sighting adds a verified data point for this fast-growing, adaptable native maple's urban presence in the upper Midwest.
Abstract Preview
Research-grade observation of box elder in Western Ave, Green Bay, WI, US.
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Species Mentioned
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Acer negundo, also known as the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America from Canada to Honduras. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, ash-like compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or invasive spec...