I never really noticed the Japanese maple until a few weeks ago when I was taking pictures of one and got to talking to the owner of the house who then showed me his back garden (http://flickr.com/photos/reyeslp/sets/72157594344133372/ ). With autumn in full swing, the red colors of the leaves really stand out. It wasn't until this morning when I took a picture of one of the trees in the neighborhood and then drove around a little bit more did I realize that there are quite a few in the neighborhood. I assume it is all over the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Maple