‘Creepy looking’ tree appears to grow legs in Michigan national park. What’s going on?

A tree deemed “creepy looking” by the National Park Service has become a subject of debate on social media, with Facebook logging more than 15,000 reactions to a photo posted Saturday.

That’s in addition to more than 400 comments from people who have likened it to everything from a mythological creature to an alien life form.

The yellow birch was found in northern Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and it got the attention of the National Park Service for appearing to have grown “legs” instead of a trunk.

NPS arborists offered a theory for the mutation, but the hundreds of commenters had other ideas, using words like “tentacles” and calling it a ”petrified zombie octopus tree.”

“That is so creepy. Looks like a hand with long fingers!” one person wrote on the National Park Service Facebook page.

“It reminds me of the trees that threw apples at Dorothy in ‘Wizard of Oz,’” another posted.

“Looks like it is walking away! Alien looking!” one commenter said.

Soon, people began sharing their own photos of “octopus trees” in other parts of the country. In each case, the photo showed trees that appeared to be “pulling up their roots and coming for you,” as one person put it.

So what may have caused the odd growth pattern?

“Most likely a yellow birch seed germinated in the warm, moist environment of a decomposing fallen tree,” the National Park Service said in its Facebook post.

“As the young birch grew on top of the dead tree, its roots traveled down around the fallen trunk and into the ground. Eventually the dead tree (known as a ‘nurse’ tree) rotted away completely, leaving the yellow birch with this interesting shape. Creepy looking?”

That sounds logical, but not everyone was convinced.

“Sure, that’s one theory,” someone posted. “Another possibility is that a tree and a squid bred together and this is their offspring.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 7:07 AM with the headline "‘Creepy looking’ tree appears to grow legs in Michigan national park. What’s going on?."