In December, we had two river birch trees removed from our landscaping. They were beautiful trees and the decision to remove them was an emotional battle. Finally the orders were given for the trees to be removed. Their roots are very invasive (didn’t know this ten years ago when they were planted) and we wanted to avoid complications in the future to our house’s foundation. I wrote about the tree in the front of the house earlier this month. That tree was a focal point in the landscape and is dearly missed.
The other tree was in our back yard. It sat in the corner, shading the house, but not in view from any window. Its loss was not mourned nearly as much as the front tree.
Recently we noticed something happening with the stump left behind. All of a sudden, it’s wet. Flies and bees buzzed to investigate this wet stump. I told my husband the tree was weeping. He didn’t appreciate my humor.
Within a day, the wet became filmy white. The liquid begian to ooze its way over the edge.
I stepped in to take a photo, and bubbles erupted from the rocks.
Look at the bottom, in the rocks. See that bubbling mass?
I step back and a foamy hole is left. I step forward, back, forward, back to watch the bubbles.
The bubbles popped and leave a hole.
Several days later, the insects no longer buzz about the stump. It is still filmy but now we are adding other fungi to the film.
I don’t know when this show will end, but I’ll be checking every day to see the next development in stump slime. We have decided it is a Petri dish stump.
