Black Knot (warning - UGLY pictures)

The images today are kind of yucky looking.  My daughter describes them as animal poop on a stick.  When she first saw them, she couldn't figure out how or why an animal would poop on a stem like that.  Actually it is apiosporina morbosa more commonly called 'black knot'.  It is not everywhere at the park but it is in a few places.

I'm adding a stop sign in now so that if you are squeamish about things like animal feces, you can stop right here.

Okay for those with a little more courage, here are the images from the park.  It isn't really that large, and it is found on stems.

Here is a close up:

Hope you enjoyed!

~ Robin