The answer to the Tang-colored mystery involves tiny spruce needle rust fungus spores that also rely on Labrador tea plants to survive.
Scientists have identified an orange-colored gunk that appeared along the shore of a remote Alaska village as millions of microscopic eggs filled with fatty droplets.
The spruce along the highway between mile 157 and 162 show signs of stress, the tips of the branches are orangish and the deep green of the trees are fading.
Spruce rust (Chrysomyxa ledicola) fungal spores found along the banks on the Kuskokwim River
Discolored spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles
Observations From Members 