‘Highly invasive’ tree putting our iconic sugar maple at risk Marta Czurylowicz jeudi, 8 octobre 2020 à 11:41 - There are many invasive species of plants disrupting our ecosystems but one of them is putting our iconic sugar maple at risk - yes, the beautiful maple leaf that adorns our country's flag. The European Norway maple has a similar leaf shape and often gets mistaken for the sugar maple. The difference is its leaves contain a toxic latex that harms insects and pollinators. Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year. It’s when nature paints landscapes with beautiful colours of oranges, yellows and reds and perhaps the star of the show is the iconic sugar maple.