Originally Posted by lannerman

hi Michelle, firstly, acers and maples are basically the same thing with Acer being the botanical name and Maple being the common name. Acers (and therefore maples) are what we call 'deciduous', meaning they lose their leaves in autumn, so to answer your question, yes its perfectly normal. Without being too technical, the leaf forms a barrier of a cork-like substance, the chlorophyll
turns to sugar and its that which turns the leaves red in Autumn before dropping off.
regards, lannerman.