Perhaps the strangest things that you might see each spring are the bright orange globs hanging in the eastern red cedar trees. They look a bit like orange marmalade being pushed through a garlic press. Moist to the touch and about the size of a golf ball, these ornaments adorning the cedars are actually fungi.
The life cycle of the cedar-apple rust fungus (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae) depends on both apple and eastern red cedar hosts. It’s possible to find cedar-apple rust anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains where eastern red cedars and apples coexist.
For most of the year cedar-apple rust is hard to see. However, when spring rains moisten the hard brown kidney-shaped galls that over winter on cedar trees they develop bright orange spore horns. These are very conspicuous and make the cedar look like it’s fruiting. The spores are then blown, sometimes several miles, onto apple trees infecting young buds and leaves. Over the course of the summer the fungus matures and eventually spores are blown back to the cedar trees to overwinter as small galls.
The fungus does not permanently harm the eastern red cedar trees. However, if left untreated, cedar-apple rust will damage apple fruits to the point of making them unsellable. This is a major concern for orchard owners. Today, fungicide is used to prevent cedar-apple rust from destroying crops, but that wasn’t always the case.
In 1914, apple growers wrote the Cedar Rust Act of Virginia allowing them to destroy cedar trees on neighboring property in an effort to control the fungus. While most people enjoy eating apples, a lot of people also like eastern red cedar trees, especially if they’re on your own property. You can imagine how people reacted when they woke up to see their neighbors cutting down all their cedar trees.
This all came to a head in a classic 1928 court case where a judge determined that apple trees were more valuable than cedars, and therefore more worthy of protecting. Cedar tree owners would not be compensated for their losses, but would be allowed to keep the wood from the cut trees. Remember to thank those folks who lost all their cedars next time you bite into a delicious apple!
If you happen to be out on the next rainy day, try to find an eastern red cedar. Hopefully you’ll have a new appreciation for those bright orange galls and their complex history.
Have you seen cedar-apple rust fungus before? Tell us where and when in the comments!
Just noticed for first time ever lifelong south jersey resident.
ocean ,nj off west palm. these alien fungus are everywhere
Just saw one on a small eastern red cedar in our townhouse complex. Ashland, MA. So wierd and had to use google to find out what it is which brought me to this website!
I live in Howell Mich. it has rained the last 4 days. The Ceader Tree is in full bloom of this orange fungus.
I just bought a house a month ago in South Central Pennsylvania. This morning I went outside to have my morning coffee and low and behold I see these weird orange things on a pine tree. I find a picture, on this sight and Wow, I have an apple tree! I have a cedar tree!
Dam, do I have to cut down the cedar tree? ?. Couldn’t I just cut off the branches that have the galls?
Seen for the first time in my (64 yr) life, on all 5 of our beautiful 10 yr old cedar trees, here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. What to do?!
Lived here 10 years and never seen them before, until now in our one cedar tree. Noticed the brown galls on a dead tree about 300 yards in the woods. 15 min east of Cincinnati.
Just found These orange colored fungi today. We live in New Bloomfield Pennsylvania. Creapy looking things. Although they add nice color to our cedar tree, they must be terminated. Moohahaha.
Western Iowa (deer Island)
They gross me out haha I had never seen them before. Hamden, CT
Just found 3 in our tree. Huntsville, Arkansas
Ozark mo. Woke up this morning after a stormy night. Three massive red cedars look like they were decorated for christmas. Beauriful. I have 2 apple trees. Oh well!
Nice rain last evening. Orange marmalade on cedar trees this am. Lived here eight years and never seen before.
Derby, Kansas – We had a lovely rain last night and when my son and I went for a walk this morning we discovered orange octopuses had invaded our cedar trees!
I live in Goochland County Virginia. I noticed them hanging from my trees early this week after a week of rain.
Greensboro, NC – Have never seen these before, but have had 3″ of rain recently. Almost softball size things hanging from 2 cedars.
I live in Alabama and have them on out trees.
Just noticed them this year in York PA. I was just going to cut them off. Possibly saving any neighboring apple trees, but mostly because it’s an ugly parasite.
I saw one of these weird looking fungi on a tree in my yard in McKenney, VA. It showed up after an extended two days of rain!! No apple trees around though!
Just noticed them yesterday on the cedar trees lining our yard in Courtland Va. Happy to learn it’s not a living creature. Looks really creepy to me. I’ve lived here almost six years and never seen this before.
Today in Fredericksburg, VA
Just noticed these in my 2 cedar trees on my property. Front yard Louisville kentucky and back yard Oldam county. I live on the county line of both countys. Will be doing everything i can to remove them but some are 25 to 30 feet high.
I just noticed those nasty little Globs all over my big cedar tree today. That probably explains the poor quality apples from my Granny Smith trees, that is when they actually produce an apple
We live in Mooresville, NC on Lake Norman. All of the cedar trees by our home are covered in this cedar rust fungus.
After a few days of rain i noticed these orange looking balls on my Cedar Trees in our back yard. Lived here for 5 yrs and never had them before. We live in Bristol Tn
Just saw these on neighbors’ cedar while taking walk in neighborhood and did wonder what in the world! Thanks to the Internet I’ve increased my knowledge!
I live in Culpeper VA
Also another neighbor across street from said tree has fruit trees in her yard.
They are all over western cleveland county. All of my cedar trees have them.
We have them falling from our cedar trees in East, TN.
I live in Gastonia NC closer to lake Wylie sc. I just saw these in my trees and have never before.I didn’t know what they were it looked like an alien from a movie.Now that I know it won’t eat me lol I understand but hate it for apple trees.
A hard rain exposed the urchin looking orange globs on my cedar tree in Salisbury, NC. About 30 miles NE of Charlotte, NC.
Hickory Tavern SC they look like little aliens but my kids are fascinated by them.
Noticed these orange squishy blobs on the cedar trees by our house on the farm in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (central part of Ky)
Louisa, Va 23093 blossomed fungi today!
We’re going to try to get it all down and contained.
On my cedar trees here in Bessemer city, NC!
In our yard in Rural Hall, NC we have never seen them until this year, but planted 2 apple trees 2 years ago and was told that the fungi from near by cedar trees is what killed them.
We have them now on a cedar tree near our apple tree in Cape Carteret, NC
On a row of cedars lining the dirt road to our house. No known apple trees within 3 miles of our house.
Conover, NC. Those blobs look disgusting, my little boys are fascinated.
Just started noticing them over the last few days here near Jackson, Missouri. They are very high up in the cedar, but I will attempt to get as many off of it as possible. Don’t know of any apple trees around though.
I live in Rutledge Ga and saw these growing in my neighbors yard on her tree. They are the strangest looking things. So of course I had to research it and found what it was. Doesn’t sound like a good thing I want around.
We have these on our cedar tree near our apple tree in our back yard in eastern part of tenn about an hour or so from Chattanooga tn. And south of Knoxville tn.
Central Oklahoma. 1.3″ rain. Now BRIGHT orange balls handing in the trees.
In my yard in Mabelvale, Arkansas . There are a few in our cedar tree. We are cutting the branches off now , as I am typing this
It misted and drizzled rained about 13 hours in NE Oklahoma last night. Rain total was 1.3 inches. I just had a cedar cut down this past week and these goopy little orange octopi are all over.
We currently have them on the cedars in the woods behind our home.
Vale , North Carolina – Our tree has produced these orange blobs for the past two yrs
Vale , NC Our cedar tree is covered with them
Elizabethtown Ky. Yesterday April 15.
I am in Zebulon NC and have never seen one until after a very heavy rain and wind storm. After the storm I found 4 on the ground, I think.
I live in loudon,Tn. I just noticed these big orange blobs in my cedar trees today. They are full of them so I googled it to see what is was. Very interesting
Four of these, softball sized, appeared today in one red cedar after a prolonged rain. Just outside of Richmond, VA. Wish I could add a photo!