Our proofreader discovered this strange object in a spruce tree near her home. What in the woods is it?
Answer
A witch’s broom.
Though witch’s broom is the common name for tree deformities like this, what’s causing the broom is a more complicated question. It could be eastern dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant, but we have our doubts. According to the forest pathologists we spoke to, mistletoe brooms usually occur in bunches, and there are no other brooms on this tree or any others nearby.
Another option is that the broom was caused by spruce broom rust, a fungus. While this could be the case, the fact that the broom’s needles aren’t yellow makes us think it’s probably a genetic broom, the result of a mutation of sorts. According to those in the know, you can graft a twig onto a spruce seedling and create a similar mutation yourself.
In any case, we gave full credit to any answer that contained the words “witch’s broom.”
This week’s contest winner was John Knapp of Oxford, New York