Spruce Resin Drips – Macro Monday

~ Amusives

I won’t make you wait until next Monday to announce what this is a photo of. But try and guess anyhow before you read the story below the photo.

39-tree-sap

Yes, the photo is Tree Sap. Spruce tree resin, to be specific. Isn’t it wonderful looking stuff? I suppose I should be concerned that a few of my spruce trees are spitting out copious quantities of this sticky goo, but it is so enchanting that I am just not going to worry about what evil force might be at work here.

There is a certain amount of danger involved in taking these photos. An army of ants scurries around the base of the tree, and they bite anything that lingers long enough to observe the sticky dripping above them. I was too busy looking up to look down, and paid a handsome price for my inattention. Now when I take pictures of sap, I wear long pants and tuck them into heavy socks, thus reducing ant entry points.

Deciding whether or not to trust a person is like deciding whether or not to climb a tree because you might get a wonderful view from the highest branch or you might simply get covered in sap and for this reason many people choose to spend their time alone and indoors where it is harder to get a splinter.
– Lemony Snicket, The Penultimate Peril –

21 thoughts on “Spruce Resin Drips – Macro Monday”

  3. I am not reading so I don’t find out what it is. I am guessing frozen buds on a tree. Maybe .

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    1. Well, we are still getting the odd frost here, so it would be a good guess. Not the right guess, however.

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  4. Love the shot! Are those dark bits insects trapped inside? Sap eventually becomes amber, doesn’t it? Or maybe it is tree resin rather than sap, not sure what the difference is 🙂

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    1. Yes, the dark bits are ants, I think. And yes, I think it is resin, not sap, that becomes amber.

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  5. Of course, it looks like some of my cooking. The kind most folks won’t eat and a great excuse to go out to dinner again. Great macros. Just great.

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    1. Odd you should mention cooking. I’ve had a few things go stringy like the photo, and you are right – no one really wanted to eat them.

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  7. I got bitten by an aunt once. That’s why I prefer the company of uncles… : )

    Great shot, Margie, very cool! I was thinking part of a flower, perhaps. Guess I’m just a sap… : (

    Hope you’ve recovered from those bites!!

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    1. Very punny!
      The bites took quite a while to heal – I’m allergic to bug bites of all kinds.

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