Undoubtedly, nature is capable of producing some pretty magnificent things, and a Sparta, Michigan, resident just so happened to be in the right spot at the right time to observe one of the season’s most stunning creations.
Ghost apples were discovered by a man in Michigan who was pruning apple trees in an icy orchard.
Sometimes in winter, freezing rain can coat a rotten apple. Then the mushy middle of the apple falls out. This creates the phenomenon called the "ghost apple".#ghostapple #appletree #theplanetvoice pic.twitter.com/xVrnhpcu0s
— The Planet Voice (@ThePlanetVoice) January 7, 2023
In Kent County’s Fruit Ridge neighbourhood, Andrew Sietsema took pictures of the hollow ice apples, shared them on Facebook, and described how they were formed to WOOD TV and CNN.
The rotten apples were surrounded by a thick, frozen shell after being covered in a freezing rain. The trees shook as he pruned them, forcing several apples to fall off. However, those that remained on the tree had the mush drop out the bottom, leaving a ghost apple.
Best fact of the day goes to @carolkirkwood 👏👏👏#GhostApple #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/if3sTcnHQQ
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 13, 2019
As apples have a lower freezing point than water, Sietsema told CNN, “I believe it was just cold enough that the ice covering the apple hadn’t yet melted, but it was warm enough that the apple inside turned to pure mush.”
And every time I would cut a tree, the tree would be shook, which caused the “ghost apple’s” mush to fall out of the bottom.
