‘Ghost Apples’ Discovered In Michigan Orchard
While pruning apple trees in an orchard in west Michigan, hollow apple-shaped ice formations hanging from the trees have been discovered. The unusual phenomenon was created by freezing rain coating rotted apples and the mushy apples slipping out of their icy shells to leave behind ‘ghost apples.’
Andrew Sietsema from Sparta, Michigan posted the images on his Facebook page. He told Forbes.com that he’s not quite sure how they formed, but suspects that after some rather cold conditions and plenty of chilly rainfall, the surface of the apples froze over. The apples themselves, which are resistant to temperatures that freeze water to a greater extent, remained intact.
Andrew goes on to say that later, it was just warm enough to allow the encased apples to take on some of that water and turn into a mush. “When I pruned a tree it would be shaken in the process, and the mush would slip out of the bottom of the ‘ghost apple’,” he explained. “Most apples just fell off, ice and all. But quite a few would leave a cool ‘ghost apple’ behind.”
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