BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Sudsy bubbles coming from your tree? Here’s what it means

A Derby resident has shared photos taken from her yard of a phenomenon known as Tree Suds (Courtesy: Misti Hobbs)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

DERBY, Kan. (KSNW) — Does your tree have a case of the suds? No, we aren’t talking about the illness Spongebob came down with, though it is slightly similar.

A resident in Derby, Kansas, noticed the strange phenomenon known as tree suds in her yard on Tuesday. She shared the below photos with NewsNation affiliate KSNW.

Misti Hobbs took these two photos Tuesday as rain moved across the area. As you can see, it seems like sudsy soap is seeping out of the tree.

Erik Draper writes for Ohio State University that tree suds are actually a fairly common phenomenon that generally happens after long periods without rain.

During those dry periods, particulates from the air, salts, and plant chemicals tend to accumulate on the surface of tree bark. Rainwater washes and mixes with the different salts, chemicals, and particulates which can contain acid. When the salts, acids, and rainwater combine, a chemical reaction occurs that forms a sort of rudimentary soap.

As the mixture flows down the surface of the bark, it encounters bumps, ridges, and other obstacles that slowly introduce pockets of air, creating bubbles that eventually pool at the base of the tree.

Draper says tree suds can form on any type of tree, anywhere in the world where conditions are right. The best trees, according to Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Conservancy, will have a large diameter and “plenty of deep bark ridges” — that means trees like oak, hickory, or poplar trees are more likely to have tree suds than beech or sycamore trees.

If you spot it on your tree, there’s no cause for concern. Tree suds pose no risk to you, your tree, or your pets.

It isn’t just trees that get soapy, either. You may see it on paved roads, Rebecca Roy, the manager of educational programming for Vermont State Parks, told New Hampshire Public Radio. The oils on the roadway can combine with dust in the area, and with the help of wheels stirring up the mixture, you could spot some bubbles.

Science News

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

66°F Sunny Feels like 66°
Wind
7 mph SW
Humidity
47%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
50°F A few clouds. Low around 50F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Wind
6 mph N
Precip
10%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous