Box Elder Fall Craft

Have you ever thrown up a handful of maple seeds and enjoyed the show of dozens of helicopters spinning around you? There is a special specie of maple that grows along the South Platte River- box elder or boxelder maple. These trees produce helicopter seeds that are on full display in this time of year.

200 years ago, the Cheyenne tribe that lived in present day Denver would have used the bark of the box elder to make bowls. They would boil the sap into a candy as well. While today we may gravitate towards sweeter treats, we can still enjoy the beauty of a boxelder maple and we can repurpose box elder seeds into a fun, fall decoration!

​To create this festive craft go on a stroll along one of Denver’s river/creek parks and look for a box elder. These trees can be recognized by their lobed compound leaves containing 2-4 leaflets. This time of year, their seeds are most recognizable.You sill see boxelder seeds hanging from the trees in clusters and are winged shape- often with two seeds stuck together.

The leaves are made up of 2-4 leaflets in a distinct maple shape

The "helicopter" seeds are a distinct maple seed shape

When you find a box elder, pick a few paired seeds off the tree. To create bats, simply paint the box elder seeds with black or brown paint. Glue small googly eyes onto the dry painted seeds using hot glue or tacky glue. We used a paint marker to paint eyes on our bats. You can then use your bats to create a natural fall scene. Have Fun!