Trees will secrete a sticky substance called resin as a defense mechanism to protect itself from things like insect predators, fungi, or storm damage. Resin has antiseptic properties to protect the tree from disease. It hardens when exposed to the air and helps seal wounds. Its stickiness prevents an insect from burrowing inside the tree and in some instances encases the insect’s body.
Amber is an organic mineral that is formed from tree resin. The amber forms when the resin ends up being buried by sediments in a river or by silt at the bottom of a lake. Over time, the pressure of the sedimentary layers transforms the resin into amber. It has preserved many fascinating plant and animal specimens that give us a glimpse of life on earth eons ago.
I found tree resin oozing down the thick, craggy bark of this Douglas-fir tree and it appears to have captured a millipede wandering around on the trunk. I discovered it while marveling over the cascading formations and the variety of golden hues. If all the conditions are right, maybe sometime in the next couple-three million years this millipede will be preserved in amber and be found by a curious naturalist wandering around exploring nature.
