On Aug 12, 10:05*am, Jack Schmidling wrote:
Returning home from our Friday trip to town, we spotted this strange
apparition in a tree along the road.....


It is what is known as a 'witch's broom.' They occur rather
frequently on conifers. They can be caused by a virus or some other
infectious agent or injury , but sometimes they happen spontaneously
as a result of mutation. There is one on a Norway Spruce near my
office.

Some of the more interesting ones become valuable cultivars when an
enterprising arborist spots them and clones them.

J. Del Col