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Post by Ahawkeye on Mar 1, 2013 6:28:39 GMT -5
A few months after the Ice storm a few years ago my oak tree got all kinds of ping pong sized balls on 40 - 50% of the twigs. Not as large as Russ is describing but then again that storm hit Kentucky way worse than southern Indiana. Food for thought.
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 1, 2013 11:40:47 GMT -5
After more researching of mistletoe, that may be the answer. At least that does appear to be a bunch of twigs in the branches and roughly the size and shape we saw.
The ones we were seeing all looked to be just the twigs of the tree they were in, growing into a ball shape around 14 to 16 inches in diameter. They also looked like they were sitting on the topside of the branch. And we didn't see any with leaves , they were all just as bare and dark as the tree they were in.
I should have stopped for a few pics. I thought they would be kinda hard to describe in a way that would convey the actual way they looked, but it has turned out to be even tougher than I expected.
Don't know if I can get my buddy to stop and get a pic on his way back down there for turkey season or not. He's not Old Order Amish, but pretty close when it comes to electronic gadgets, and he's always hesitant to interrupt the trip for such tomfoolery as as eating or gas until it becomes a necessity 8^)
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Post by goosepondmonster on Mar 1, 2013 11:43:15 GMT -5
I'll try to remember to take a picture at my grandma's this weekend to see if we are talking about the same thing.
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Post by danf on Mar 2, 2013 10:55:13 GMT -5
If its not mistletoe, it sounds like witches broom...
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 2, 2013 11:40:55 GMT -5
danf, I think you may have the answer.
The pic's I see of witch's broom seems to most closely resemble the examples we saw along 27 in KY.
The only remaining difference is that the ones we saw almost all formed more perfect spheres with their twig growth, but I suppose that could be something specific to the tree species affected.
The witch's broom formations are composed of the twigs of the affected tree forming into the clumps or clusters, rather than some alien parasite plant, and that appeared to be the case down there.
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Post by dadfsr on Mar 2, 2013 12:30:37 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2013 12:59:05 GMT -5
Mistletoe is dark green year round. If it was green and living, it is mistletoe
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 2, 2013 13:51:42 GMT -5
The ones we saw were all apparently twigs of the tree it was in. They were leafless and and appeared "dead", or dormant as the rest of the trees at this time of year.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2013 19:40:55 GMT -5
Wasn't mistletoe then. If dies and turns burn, it detaches itself from the branch. Has to be a nest of some sort
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Post by kevin1 on Mar 3, 2013 12:03:30 GMT -5
I've seen tons of mistletoe, most of the growths weren't spherical, usually more of an oblong shape.
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Post by featherduster on Mar 3, 2013 19:35:24 GMT -5
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 3, 2013 22:24:21 GMT -5
featherduster, that's another interesting possibility, although I was pretty sure that the things I saw were some growth of the tree itself rather than a nest of imported twigs.
I think I've about worked up enough curiosity now to justify a trip back to that territory with the tripod and camera to get some pic's and maybe ask some locals.
May be a few days. My jeep needs to visit the doctor, and I'm making a replacement piece for the tripod.
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 8, 2013 11:17:09 GMT -5
Confirmed to be mistletoe. I e-mailed the county extension agent down there, very nice fellow. He actually drove out past where we saw it to confirm his suspicion. The extension office is only a mile or so away, so I figured he would probably know what I was talking about for sure, even with it being difficult to describe.
I was being led astray by the pics I could find of mistletoe on the net, which all showed it to have leaves and to be more in no particular shape, but apparently the circular shape becomes much more visible during the late winter period when it has few if any leaves.
He said the mistletoe seems to take advantage of any cracks or breaks in the limbs to gain an entry, and the area has lots of it since the severe storm damage in recent years.
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Post by dadfsr on Mar 8, 2013 11:50:13 GMT -5
Confirmed to be mistletoe. I e-mailed the county extension agent down there, very nice fellow. He actually drove out past where we saw it to confirm his suspicion. The extension office is only a mile or so away, so I figured he would probably know what I was talking about for sure, even with it being difficult to describe. I was being led astray by the pics I could find of mistletoe on the net, which all showed it to have leaves and to be more in no particular shape, but apparently the circular shape becomes much more visible during the late winter period when it has few if any leaves. He said the mistletoe seems to take advantage of any cracks or breaks in the limbs to gain an entry, and the area has lots of it since the severe storm damage in recent years. Just because a plant is listed as being evergreen doesn't mean that it will ALWAYS be in it's full glory of greenery. Even evergreens shed their foliage just not all at one time and may appear pretty bare when they do their leaf/needle drop (usually in late winter/early spring). The middle of the winter on a dark, dreary day from a distance, at any kind of road speed- I'm sure that any mistletoe growth will more than likely appear as a solid lump. I'm sure there will be somebody that will disagree with the local on site expert though.....
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Post by duff on Mar 8, 2013 16:26:12 GMT -5
LOL!
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Post by throbak on Mar 8, 2013 17:08:13 GMT -5
Saw lots of it (mistletoe) on the way to Charlestown today starting in Madison it was still all green
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