Acer rubrum typically have red petioles, red flowers, red fall color, red tinged samaras. Plus, the leaf shape isn't right.

None of the trees have the shaggy bark of silver maple, which leads to my confusion. Some of the leaves are similar to silver maple but they are not as deeply cut?

igg,shaggy bark on silver maples doesn't typically express itself except on older, or in some cases stressed trees. Rapid growing trees in wet areas, like yours appear to be, will have smooth bark later in life.

rhizo, I have a couple individuals on my place that have 3 lobed leaves, looks all the world like trident maple foliage, it's var. carolinianum. Red maples I've seen in FL are different from TN are different from NH. LOTS of variation in foliage and habit.

"Acer rubrum typically have red petioles, red flowers, red fall color, red tinged samaras." We have Acer rubrum that varies in color of flowers and leaves from light gold to a bright deep red, and every shade of orange and red in between, so I wouldn't use color for ID. The leaf petioles are more red than other maples.

I agree with Kentrees IDs in his first post.

None of my Red Maples in the woods have ever had red fall color, just a dull yellow. I believe I have what's considered the Drummond type red maple though.

Years ago I was at an arboretum in either southern LA or Miss., can't remember the name of the place lol. They had naturally occurring red maples labeled Acer rubrum var. drummondii. It was late Oct and the foliage on the maples was a deep screaming red. It could have had something to do with the conditions the trees were growing in, full sun and standing water.

I'm guessing indianagardengirl's maples are all freemanii's, which are frequently the predominant maples in bottomland and seasonally wet areas across this region. Fall color is variable, often yellow or yellow-green, but can occasionally be red or dark red. One local tree I've noticed (in a wooded area full of freemanii's) colors a dark burgundy red every fall, while most of the others around it are yellow. There is a nursery grower in NW Ohio that (for a few years) propagated and grew several of the better-coloring trees near his nursery.

Thanks to all of you who have posted. I had paged thru a couple of different tree guides, where nothing quite matches, and was really getting frustrated. Many of these trees have red petioles, too, i just didnt happen to capture that. I appreciate the assist, and helping me to understand how variable ma nature truly is. I'm determined to get some red fall color in my yard somewhere. :-) I forsee a Nyssa sylvatica in my future...among some others.

Also consider Quercus michauxii, swamp chestnut oak, it usually turns red, although a more muted rather than screaming red.

Leaf shapes shown point to hybrid natures.

This^. It is well-understood that silver and red maples exist along a range of hybridity with one another. They are very closely-related, thus are able to interbreed to some extent. Thus, a range of characteristics can be seen. This is one such example.

"I'm determined to get some red fall color in my yard ..."

I would go tree shopping when the leaves are turning. Just be prepared to plant immediately, mulch well (though not against the trunk) and watch water until freeze.

A hybrid, similar to freeman maple.

Looks like the leaves on my seedling "Red Maple" as labeled from the nursery. Not like my other Red. I hope it hasn't too much silver in it. I don't really care for SiIver Maples.