The Fresno Weeping Tree: When Divine Tears Turn Out to Be Bug Poop
When a crape myrtle in Fresno began "weeping" in 2013, hundreds claimed it was a divine miracle. Discover the sticky biological reality involving aphids and "honeydew" that turned holy water into bug waste.
TL;DR: The Miracle That Wasn't
- The Event: A crape myrtle tree in Fresno appeared to “weep” liquid onto faithful pilgrims in 2013.
- The Belief: Locals claimed the tree was shedding divine tears that intensified during prayer.
- The Reality: Arborists confirmed the “tears” were honeydew—sugary excrement produced by aphids.
- The Lesson: Human pareidolia often prefers a miraculous mystery over a mundane biological fact.
Introduction
In the long and undistinguished tradition of spotting Jesus in toast, the Virgin Mary in water stains, and sanctity in tortillas, the 2013 weeping tree incident in Fresno, California, deserves an honorable mention. It is a case study in how easily the extraordinary is projected onto the entirely ordinary—especially when science arrives late to the party.
When a crape myrtle tree outside St. John’s Cathedral began releasing a clear liquid during the height of summer, the explanation many reached for was not plant stress or insect activity. It was, predictably, divine tears. Because for many observers, if a tree leaks in July, it is not dehydrated or infested—it is spiritually expressive.
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Public Reaction: Faith in the Droplets
Maria Ybarra was among the first to publicly declare the phenomenon miraculous. She insisted that the liquid responded directly to prayer, claiming that when one said “glory be to God in Jesus’ name,” the tree released more fluid on cue. The implication was unmistakable: heaven had installed a responsive irrigation system.
Others followed quickly. Rosemarie Navarro arrived seeking relief from serious illness, positioning herself beneath the branches to receive the falling liquid. The scene escalated from curiosity to spectacle as word spread, phones were raised, and onlookers documented what they believed to be sacred moisture descending on the sidewalk.
According to The Fresno Bee, many callers interpreted the event as a definitive sign from God. Ybarra herself claimed the water “changed” her, leaving her with a sense of peace. No testing, no analysis—just confirmation bias with a drip rate.
Scientific Explanation: The Inconvenient Truth
Reality arrived not on a cloud but in the form of city officials and arborists. Their assessment was swift and terminal to the miracle narrative. The tree was infested with aphids, and the mysterious liquid was honeydew—a sticky, sugar-rich substance excreted after the insects consumed sap.
Certified arborist Jon Reelhorn explained the process succinctly: “The aphids will suck the sap, the sap goes through the aphid. And then it is a honeydew excrement from the aphid… it gets so heavy in the summer that it will drip down.” Translated from arborist to English, this meant that the faithful were being showered in bug waste.
No thunderbolt followed this revelation. Just quiet disappointment and the faint hum of rationality.
Why Belief Persisted
One might reasonably expect that learning you were standing beneath an actively defecating insect colony would bring the vigil to an end. It did not. For some, the explanation merely became a theological challenge. If sacred texts could sanctify mud and saliva, then aphid secretions were hardly off-limits.
This persistence highlights pareidolia—the brain’s habit of constructing meaning from randomness. When people are grieving, ill, or searching for reassurance, even a pest infestation can become a cosmic signal. Science offers answers; belief offers comfort. Comfort often wins.
Conclusion
The Fresno weeping tree is not a story of faith triumphing over skepticism. It is a story of faith outrunning explanation. What began as an unremarkable entomological issue briefly transformed a city sidewalk into a pilgrimage site.
The tree was not mourning humanity. It was under siege by insects. And yet the episode serves as a tidy reminder: miracles tend to evaporate under scrutiny. Sometimes a tree is not crying for the world—it is simply full of bugs.
Works Cited
Grossi, John. “Crying Tree in Fresno Attracts Faithful Believers, But City Says It's Just Bugs.” The Fresno Bee, 10 July 2013.
Wollan, Malia. “This Tree Is Crying, and the Faithful Are Flocking.” BuzzFeed News, 11 July 2013.
“Some Say Fresno Tree Is Weeping Tears of God.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2013.
