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February 5th, 2016 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!).

Tree Oddity

It looks a bit like a golf ball that’s been run over, but what really caused this growth?

Tree Oddity Image

Answer

Cedar-apple rust. This gall is one of the life stages of the cedar-apple rust fungus, growing on red cedar (technically a juniper, not a true cedar). In the spring of this or a following year, following a rain, the gall will develop dramatic orange tentacle-like growths called telial horns (see new photo). Spores released from these horns will be dispersed on the wind, and may infect an apple tree or other member of the rose family, which serve as the fungus’ alternate host. Spores released later in the summer and fall that land on a juniper species will develop into a gall like the one in the initial photo and complete the alternate-host disease cycle.

This week’s contest winner was Clotilde Hryshko

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