What It Means if You See Red Icicles in Maine This Winter

The winter always brings some strange sights in Maine, but most of them can be explained with relative ease. That wasn't the case when it came to the "bleeding" tree in Yarmouth, Maine, a few years back.  Reasons seemed to hit a dead end, and it felt a little like it was the subplot of a Stephen King novel.

Shared on Reddit by Putnoks, the bizarre icicle dangling from the knot of a tree in Yarmouth, Maine. It would be just your typical, run-of-the-mill icicle except for the fact that it's the shade of blood red. The poster of this photo made mention that other icicles hanging from this same tree are clear, so they were curious exactly why this tree seems to be "bleeding" in one spot.

No Clear or Concrete Answer Why

There are actually several varieties of trees that have sap that is naturally red, like the bloodwood tree. But bloodwood trees are not a fixture in the northeast, so naturally-occurring blood red sap can be ruled out for this particular oddity, as well as any others that may show up.

But there's another potential reason some of the sap could be red in this tree. According to Hunker.com, the tree itself could be suffering from something called gummosis.

Gummosis is essentially an injury sustained by a tree, and just like humans, the tree will "bleed" red sap until that injury is taken care of. Gummosis is something that generally happens in fruit trees, and it's difficult to tell from the photo if this tree bears fruit.

Still Not a Typical Occurrence

Red icicles in Maine are definitely not common. While gummosis is the likely cause if you happen to see one, it should serve as a warning sign that your tree is suffering from wounds or cankers related to insects, groundwater issues, or other potentially serious infections.