Maple Grove has two arbor highlights: (1) a nice collection of old Silver Maples (Acer saccharinum); and (2) a venerable old White Mulberry (Morus alba). [See the separate listings for Maple Grove’s maple and mulberry trees.]
Most of the Silvers were planted in 1914 by Ralph W. Coho who purchased West End Park, built a swimming pool there, planted these maples around the pool, and renamed the park Maple Grove [Jack Brubaker, Lancaster Online, May 25, 2004.]. These trees thus are more than 100 years old, and one or two — perhaps preexisting in the park — seem considerably older.
The significance of the old mulberry centers upon Lancaster’s history in the silk industry [see ‘Lancaster’s Mulberry Trees’ under Special Topics]. What is especially nice about Maple Grove is that it permits comparisons of mulberries of different ages.
In mulberries, simpler unlobed leaves reflect a tree’s maturity. A young mulberry located along the edge of the Little Conestoga Creek bears leaves of multiple shapes (unlobed, single lobed, multiple lobed; 4th photo). A mature mulberry bordering the front parking lot (actually standing on the adjacent property) has relatively fewer lobed leaves. The old mulberry standing on the edge of the creek has nothing but unlobed leaves (5th pho- to).
[Second photo shows maple trees; third photo shows the old mulberry.]