Nature Done Wright

Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs

March 26, 2017

Monday Morning Mystery Answered

Last week's mystery was brought to you by Eric and Deb Endresen. Eric took the photos. Deb wrote:

Eric took these pix in the woods in northeast PA earlier this winter.

He said that the tree was long dead, so he didn't suspect sap. He thought it was just frozen water that had turned color from the wood itself. I asked readers what they thought. Best answer (and only answer) came from Joanne:

"It's dead tree drippings…a bacterial wetwood disease (also known as slim)…can emit an awful smell….occurs mostly on maples, poplars, oaks and birches. Saw this many years ago on a neighbor's tree and researched it." (Thanks, all!)