Weird Foaming Tree Takes Internet by Storm
A Threads user who stumbled across an unusual phenomenon is taking the internet by storm. A woman who goes by the name @ljpt61 shared two videos they claimed to have taken in their yard.
“Foamy soap-like stuff dripping off my cedar trees,” she captioned the clip. “Weird. Does anyone know what this might be?”
As expected, several people popped into the comments to make jokes about what was going on, especially one person who hilariously wrote, “Squirrels doing laundry before long winter.”
However, there were others who shared the real details of what was behind the effect, giving everyone a little insight into what can cause certain trees to “foam.” You may never look at these trees the same way again.
A Woman Captured Foaming Trees on Video
View on Threads
Threads users had a lot of great responses to the foaming trees, with one person using a variation of the popular “hopital” in their response, simply writing, “Treepital.”
“That tree must be growing next to an Irish Spring,” another person joked.
“I sent a similar photo and question to my little brothers, and he said, ‘Too much Palmolive,'” a third person added.
“I’m sorry, sir, but your tree is rabid. It must be put down and taken in for testing,” yet another person wrote in a punny response. “Don’t worry, I’ve heard it’s all bark and no bite, so you should be safe from contracting anything.”
There’s Actually a Very Good Reason Why Some Trees Foam
Fortunately, someone who knew what they were talking about chimed in. “Tree foam! When it rains heavily, the water running over the bark grooves [emulsifies] with the natural oils on the tree and creates a soapy foam,” they wrote.
According to Ohio State University’s Buckeye Yard and Garden Line, the “au natural” soap these trees produce is the result of a combination of different plant chemicals and particulates in the air. Once the rainwater arrives, these ingredients all mix together, blending as they run down the tree’s trunk.
The good news is that this scenario (called stemflow) doesn’t have any known negative effects on the tree. So, while the answer to the original poster’s question is a little more complicated than “squirrels doing laundry,” the truth isn’t exactly all that far off.
