Acer palmatum 'Butterfly' Japanese Maple

'Butterfly' is a slow-growing, upright Japanese maple reaching 8-10 feet tall (12-14 feet in 20 years), prized for its consistent variegated foliage. Spring emergence shows pink-tinged leaves over a white and green base; the pink fades within a month to reveal bright white or cream margins on green, a coloration the tree maintains through summer and into fall. Leaf margins often twist and curve, adding textural interest. The tree tolerates afternoon sun better than most Japanese maples, though it performs best with dappled or late-afternoon shade, where the variegation appears most vivid white. According to Gardening With Maples, the cultivar is known to occasionally revert to solid green leaves, which should be pruned immediately to preserve the variegated form. As the growers at Mr Maple note, 'Butterfly' is exceptionally consistent year to year, unlike similar cream-variegated cultivars, and works well as a specimen, in containers, or planted near walkways where the delicate leaf patterning can be appreciated up close. Fall color shifts to orange-red with the variegation margins turning pink.