Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured below?

The answer to last week’s mystery is a cherry tree burl, pictured below:

A tree burl is a type of hard, tumor-like growth that is often seen on black cherry trees. They form on branches and occasionally trunks as irregular, wart-like growths. While burls usually start out small, they can grow to be quite large. For instance, burls on redwood trees can grow large enough for new trees to sprout from.

Many scientists believe that burls form as a result of some sort of trauma to the tree. For example, some burls may be caused by an insect infestation or an attack by a particular fungus. While burls may look unhealthy, they generally do not affect the overall health of the tree. In fact, removing a burl could leave behind a large wound, exposing the tree to unwanted stress that could kill it.

Tree burls are even considered valuable by some artists who turn them into bowls. Visualize a normal grain pattern as parallel strands of yarn. A burl would be a ball of yarn. It’s as though the tree’s cells went haywire and tied themselves into a knot.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.