ephemera vol. 4

have you ever seen a witch's broom

have you ever seen cedar apple rust?

cedar apple rust on the trees in my yard

its orange, gloopy, alien tentacles grow on the eastern red cedar. its not really a cedar though its technically a type of juniper, juniperus virginiana. its a type of parasite called heteroecious which means it requires two hosts. the primary host is the juniper, and then second is usually apples, but can also affect other members of the rose family like hawthorn, and quince (did you know apples were a member of the rose family?) the juniper tree remains mostly unharmed but changed, becoming not just a host to these alien forms but now itself a poisoner.

do you see where i am going with this?

another gall on the same tree

its usually prevalent in rural areas where agricultural development and farms border areas of forest or thicket. hedges.

hard brown galls that look like dimpled walnuts grow on the branches of the juniper and then the spring rains cause them to swell up into gelatinous tubes called telial horns. the horns release spores that can travel up to 3 miles, creating poisoned apples.

do you see where i am going with this?

another gall on a different tree

the same species of fungus also causes another phenomenon to happen on the same tree. the fungus hijacks the trees hormones causing it to grow in bushy gnarled clumps called hexenbesen, “witch’s broom.” again this doesn’t exactly harm the tree, but it makes it deformed.

do you see?

some people believe this is where a witch has hidden their besom on the way to the sabbat, the branches growing around it, leaving a permanent witch’s mark on the tree. cutting it down is said to anger the witch who left it there. other people believe it is a lair for witches, elves, and goblins, who have now made their home in the tree’s body.

witch’s broom on a tree in my yard

do you see it?

the eastern red cedar was declared a public nuisance in virginia due to its affect on apple orchards. it is one of the few trees that the state can legally compel its owner to kill on private property.

have you ever seen a witch’s broom?

now you have

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