Identification
Posted by Becky Payne on May 10, 2008
Q: My dad was walking through the backyard with the grandkids when they found an interesting "thing" on a tree branch. It is orange in color, has long, soft looking, spikey things coming out all over it. At first glance, it looks like a sea anemone, but as I said we found it in a tree in Indiana. Any ideas at all????
Habitat: field/meadow
State: Indiana
Habitat: field/meadow
A: From your description, I believe I know what you've seen. I think this is Cedar Apple Rust. This is a fungal organism that has two life stages - one on apple family trees and the other on junipers like Eastern Red Cedar. I have a website from Illinois that should show you what it looks like and describes exactly what it is. Check out www.urbanext.uiuc.edu
Hope this answers your question. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( May 11, 2008)