The amber worms of doom

Back in August (here) I showed some photos of a cherry tree with gummosis - it was releasing thick, sticky resin to help heal damage to its trunk. I also said that trees can also do this if they're diseased with some form of bacterial canker.

Yesterday I found a mature cherry tree that did not look well. Its bark was covered in dark sticky patches and its leaves were 'shotholed' - brown spots develop and then the centre of each spot rots leaving the leaf looking like someone's gone at it with a 12-bore. But the oddest symptom was that it had numerous resin 'worms' leaking from it.

If this was a small fruit tree in my garden I might be able to control the disease by pruning. But, if it had gone too far, I'd have to take it down and get rid of it - including the roots as the canker can spread through them too. But this is a wild cherry and it's a big one, And it's surrounded by other big cherry trees in natural woodlands.

Sadly, Nature will have to take its course.