Maple for your tree.

Agreed with maple. Maybe Acer rubrum?

For the other tree, could you grab a leaf and a flower. It looks familiar but I can't make out any details.

Agreed, need better pics for "monster tree".

As is, looks like a Tamarix.

Funny, I thought to myself, "Looks like a maple leaf," but didn't think for even a second that these ARE maple trees. I didn't know one could/would plant maples this close together!

It has taken me a really long time to go out with a zoom lens to take the photos. The trees are in my neighbor's yard and just aggravating me to no end, though the ridiculous mess each morning appears to have slowed down a lot.

This was as close as I could get--and not my "public enemy #1" -- spiders. That webbing across everything kills me and takes me a considerate amount of time each day to keep off of my plants.

Thank you!!

Oh and I got a shot of the trunk from where I could see it. They have quite a few of thsse trees on their property but this is the only one where I could see the trunk.

Just want to know what it is, make sure the droppings they put everywhere are not hamrful in any way, and ensure that there's no limitation on what I can plant on my property, which is directly in adjacent to their property.

The "maple" looks like a California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) to me.

I thought the leaves appeared opposite on the first tree.

Rugby, that does look like the tree's leaves! In the first photo of the tree I posted, doesn't it look like yellow/brown? I was surprised to see the white flowerlike things and the leaf shape is exactly like the Ligustrum you stated.

Jon, I looked up Californai Sycamore, too. Um....now I am really confused as they look so similar. Here is a closeup of a leaf and the trunk. Not sure how to tell what a camouflage trunk looks like, or doesn't look like. Unlike the messy tree, these are on my property and are basically growing over the rooftop. Would like to know what they are so I can get them appropriately pruned down.

I have nine of these in a row on this side of my yard:

Because the trees face eastern sun, I was hoping to get some plants in between them in the ground. That idea was a flop because there are so many roots between the trees all appearing to be right under the soil.

For the moment, we built a raised bed to plop on top but I figure I have, at best, a year before they're full of these roots and the bed will have to be moved. Bummer, too, because it's a nice dappled shade spot come afternoon. Just some summer veggies planted there for the time being. :)

The first tree is some cultivar of Acer rubrum. Platanus racemosa 'CA Sycamore' doesn't get the maple-like leaves that are common in other sycamores. The leaves are 3-5 lobes usually without teeth. Sycamores sold in CA as natives, are commonly hybrid sycamores that have crossed with Platanus x acerifolia 'London Plane'

It has become important to get CA sycamores from a certified grower to ensure that it is the pure native.

OK I will go with that! :)

The one thing I do like about maple trees is the fall foliage (well, except having to rake but this is why I have a gardener). So I guess I can look forward to that even if these ridiculously shallow tree roots are eating up my limited planting space.

Thank you, everyone!

I don't think it is a maple. Maple trees do not survive without a period of frost in winter and I don't think you'd get that in California. The leaf veins and smooth trunk are not like the maple. Look at the leaf on your tree. All the veins radiate from the base of the leaf. Maple leaf veins radiate outward from the central vein. A maple tree does not have smooth bark like your tree.

Your tree is a Sweet gum. Here's a link that will tell you all about it

http://home.howstuffworks.com/sweet-gum-tree.htm

Liquidambar styraciflua 'Sweet gum' has star-shaped leaves. This is definitely an Acer rubrum cultivar.

One would think maples (other than the couple CA native maples) would not be found in Southern CA, but I have seen huge Acer saccharinum 'Silver Maples' in Los Angeles & Ventura counties.

As this OP is in northern CA, I think the weather would allow for several trees species that may struggle in the southern part of the state.

We will usually stay in the mid-40s to 50s during winter. Not really frost weather though I have seen it drop to 38 last winter for one night only and I was a frantic lunatic running around covering everything. :)

God willing, this is not a sweet gum tree. I have had quite a dew trees I disliked on various properties including three enormous walnuts (that I vowed to cut down "next year" each year because I hated the squirrels) but the only one I actually had removed what that tree. Ridiculous tree--and I thought my neighbor's tree had droppings!

That said, these leaves are not what that tree looked like. The sweet gum, to me, looked exactly like maple. I thought it was a maple until the balls came to be! This tree, I didn't think was a maple because I figure a maple has deep lobes (fingers?) on each leaf and this one is less lobed...more rounded, if that makes sense.

Anyway. I am guessing and now hoping it's a red maple. Leaves look really similar tho I agree regarding the trunk. Based on limited googling, maple leaf trunks don't look like this but...could these just be young? While my house is 60 years old, I know I pulled out some recently planted (like, to sell the house) euonymus plants and other things. I seriously doubt these trees are THAT new but there is no telling which owner planted them when. :)

Now I'm confused again and scared it's a sweet gum! Lol

Please look closely at your tree for leaf arrangement. That is where identification begins.!

Many more woody plants have alternate leaves than opposite!

Maples have opposite leaves

http://www.waterfordvillage.org/graphics/nature/sugar-maple-leaf.jpg

Platanus have alternate. That will resolve the issue.

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=14980

Sweetgum has alternate leaf arrangement.

http://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/sweetgum.asp

Opposite!

Thanks, Carol!

Young red maples have a smooth gray trunk. The thick bark comes with age.

And if it was a sweet gum, there would be lots of sweet gum balls! I have small sweet gums coming up from the roots 40 or 50 feet away from one large tree on the corner of my land . UGH.

It's difficult to see but it appears in some of the pictures that these trees are mulched above the flare which could be contributing to why you have so many shallow on the ground roots. In the last picture it almost looks like there's black plastic around the base of the trees. The mulched areas should never be above the root flare and nothing else should be either, it's strangling to the trees. The tree will be forced to put out those shallow roots which can girdle it.

http://www.arborist-treecare.com/mulch.html

That may be helpful. You don't have a volcano of mulch but finding the flare and clearing the area is important.

http://www.spottsgardens.com/tree-girdling-roots/

There is at least one sterile , non-fruiting sweetgum. Liquidambar styraciflua 'Rotundiloba'

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=u950

It does look like saccarinum, if I think back to when my tree was young.

The other messy tree is definitely Privet. Terribly invasive.

Josh

Acer rubhrum for sure. Young maples have smooth, grey bark. I see these on a daily basis. Looks like the sweetgum leaf is much smoother, with a more rounded lobe than it's angular maple counterpart. You'll see once it seeds out, unless they're hybrid...