Nature is surely fit for making some really astounding things, and one inhabitant of Sparta, Michigan, incidentally turned out to be in the perfect spot at the perfect chance to see one of the colder time of year's most wonderful developments. Right now becoming a web sensation on Twitter, these fairly striking highlights were seen in West Michigan by one Andrew Sietsema, who posted the pictures on his Facebook page. He revealed to me that he's not exactly sure how they framed, but rather presumes that after some fairly cool conditions and a lot of nippy precipitation, the outside of the apples froze solid. The apples themselves, which are impervious to temperatures that freeze water undeniably, stayed flawless.

Later, it was just warm enough to allow the encased apples to take on some of that water and turn into a mush. "When I pruned a tree it would be shaken in the process, and the mush would slip out of the bottom of the 'ghost apple'," he explained. "Most apples just fell off, ice and all. But quite a few would leave a cool 'ghost apple' behind." As these apples happen to be of the Jonagold variety, Sietsema has come to calling them "Jonaghosts."

As far as I can tell, this phenomenon hasn't really been seen before. During a brief Twitter exchange, I wondered if botanist extraordinaire James Wong had seen anything like this before, to which he replied: "No!" before noting that he isn't sure how a frozen apple would rot and fall out of the casing like that.

Some of you might be contemplating whether this is unrealistic. It is safe to say that they are authentically genuine articles, or is this a fairly radiant skillful deception? Now, I can't state without a doubt. In the event that there are any horticulturalists out there that may have any knowledge regarding how these apples framed, or how uncommon the situation should be for apparition apples to show up, kindly connect. Sietsema, who considered cultivation himself at Michigan State University, said that he comprehends that the photos may incite some distrust since they are surely very peculiar. Saying that, he says that he's certain it's occurred previously, however added that "most pruners are working diligently as opposed to taking pictures like me."

William Shoemaker, a retired fruit and vegetable horticulturalist from the University of Illinois, pointed out that those apples, leftover from harvest, just went through a week of "exceptionally cold weather" due to the polar vortex. "Besides being somewhat mummified, they could also be rotten," he explained. "It happens a lot with apples left on the tree. They maintain their form, but their substance gets closer to applesauce."

When their temperature drops to around -18°C (around 0°F), their structure collapses, and a few could "spew their rotten contents successfully." Although some may wonder why the apples didn't freeze solid during the polar vortex, Shoemaker noted that the apple has a significant acid content, so it would have to get exceedingly cold before it froze solid. "It's certainly unique, but I would guess it has happened before," he said, adding: "but it probably never had exposure to a journalist before."