Soap Suds?

Last Sunday, after the wind of storm Bert, I walked through my local wood to assess the damage. The number of downed trees felt devastating.

The most striking part of the walk though was not this. Instead, it was the strange accumulations of foam I found at the base of several trees, ones still standing. I'll show you what I mean. Totally odd, isn't it?

The fact I found such accumulations at the base of several trunks is what really piqued my interest. 

When I got home, I had to investigate. After a little Googling, I hit the jackpot.

It looks like soap suds because, it is soap suds. I know, I was surprised too.

If you've ever watched Fight Club, you'll know that traditional soap is made from just two ingredients: tallow and lye. If you've never watched Fight Club, seriously, watch it.

Tallow is made from rendered animal fat, while lye is made from filtered wood ash. Bringing this story back to foamy trees, ash floats through the air, just think about the smoke from bonfire night! Over time, some of these particles settle onto the bark of trees. During sunny weather, tree bark itself exudes resinous oils. When it rains heavily, rivulets start running down the tree trunk, mixing these two ingredients together. Amazingly, especially on trees with rough bark, the agitation of the streaming water is enough to create a crude lather.

Amazing!
 

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