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April 8th, 2011 What in the Woods is That?

What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Alnus spaghettiosa

Reader Garry Plunkett took this photo on his small suburban woodlot in Tiverton, Rhode Island. What is it?

Alnus spaghettiosa Image

Answer

Alder Tongue Gall (though as music fans of a certain age, we especially appreciated the guess that it was tangled cassette tape from a 1970’s vintage Lynyrd Skynyrd offering (Gimme Back My Bullets, no doubt) that had been tossed from the open window of a speeding car and subsequently lodged in a young apple tree.)

The alder tongue gall results from a fungus (T. amentorum) that infects the female fruit-scales of alder trees. The scales are deformed and grow to several times their normal size. Color-wise, the outgrowths progress from green to bright orange to red before finally turning brown, like the ones seen in this photo.

This week’s contest winner was Bonnie Caruthers of Walpole, NH

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