Palustris is the bomb--yarn bombing that is.

The third annual Palustris Festival officially hit Southern Pines Wednesday evening as local knitters descended on Broad Street to wrap all of it's tree trunks with knitted designs that serve as a visual celebration of the town's downtown area.

Holly Floyd, owner of Bella Filati Luxury Yarns, helped organize the event in order to create a public gallery displaying the creativity of the knitters who frequent her store.

Yarn bombing, also known as "urban knitting" or "graffiti knitting," is the act of installing yarn art as a way to personalize or reclaim public places. The act originally began as an underground form of street art in the Netherlands in the early 2000s, but it has since gained in popularity all over the world.

Curious about the yarn bombs on Broad Street? Come see for yourself. The installations will be up throughout the Palustris Festival, which lasts Thursday through Sunday.