Kentucky Woman Spots an Enormous Tree Burl in Mammoth Cave National Park

Facebook can be used for good and Facebook can be used for evil. I choose to use it for good - like 'OOOing' and 'AHHHing' over people's pics, spreading some positivity. Take this one group I'm into, Between the Ears. It's all about seeing the world from our furry friends' perspective. Just the other day, there was this post from Robin Hop, showing her girls Lila and Lita standing up on their horses near Mammoth Cave. Pretty cool, right?

A really cool tree in Mammoth Cave Kentucky with my amazing living on the wild side country girls!! -Robin Hop

But what caught my eye wasn't the horseback skills - though impressive, it was this weird bulge near the tree on the Raymar Hallow trail they were standing by. So, I went down the rabbit hole and found out it's called a tree burl.

Stress is the origin of burls. These misshapen bumps are the result of their host trees fighting stress, which triggers a defense mechanism. Examples of stress-causing conditions range from insect or fungal infestations to the sapping of a tree's strength by parasitical mistletoe. - The Spruce

Apparently, when trees get all stressed out, and this bump's their way of dealing with it. Burls come in all shapes and sizes – from teeny tiny to downright massive. Some even make the tree look like baby got back. Nature's got jokes, I tell ya...

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Now, burls aren't just fun to look at on a tree. Apparently, they are sought-after for custom wood furniture. The wood grain grows in unique patterns so if you want a one-of-a-kind wooden piece, a burl is the way to go. Even someone in the comments marveled at what a beautiful table this burl would make.

The grains of this oak burl.
byu/HERMANNATOR85 inoddlysatisfying

But it's illegal to take anything from Mammoth Cave National Park so that tree will live out its years just doing what trees do. I am curious what stressful event it underwent to grow such a large burl. I guess we'll never know.