Have You Seen Michigan’s Rare “Ghost Apples”?

Michigan is full of things that make our state exceptional. Beautiful state parks, nationally recognized oddities like Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum and the world's largest cherry pie pan (not all oddities are weighted equally), and festivals like ArtPrize that turn Grand Rapids into a giant art exhibit.

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However, sometimes Mother Nature does something so rare and incredible that no one would believe it if it wasn't caught on camera. In this case, one Michigander caught an unheard-of phenomenon on camera, and people still didn't believe it. Introducing, Michigan's "Ghost Apples".

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Ghost Apples

In 2019, Michigan experienced one of the coldest winter storms on record: the Polar Vortex. Wind chills hit -20 and stayed at or below 0 for two days straight, leading Governor Whitmer to declare a state of emergency. Michigan was covered in ice and snow, which led to one of nature's rarest moments, captured by Andrew Sietsema in Sparta.

According to his Facebook post, Sietsema encountered these "ghost apples" while pruning his apple trees. While it may be difficult to believe these are real, the process by which they are formed is rather simple.

READ MORE: How Cold Does It Have to Be for Lake Michigan to Freeze? |

The apples were covered in ice from the freezing rain, surrounding them in a coat of ice. While he was pruning, the rotten apples "turned to mush" and slipped out the bottom of the apple that wasn't covered in ice, leaving these shells behind.

Forbes spoke with a retired fruit and vegetable horticulturist who explained that rotting apples still on trees tend to keep their shape while "getting closer to applesauce" on the inside. Since apples are very acidic, they have to become "exceedingly cold" to be frozen solid, which was why the apples could slip out of their icy cages without breaking the ice that coated them.

The ghost apples, or "Jona-ghosts" as Sietsema came to call them, were a perfect combination of events that resulted in one of Michigan's most beautiful winter creations.