I'm quite late to this discussion... Yet I would like to add-in my own 2 cents: The most popular reason is that lightning turns atmospheric nitrogen gas into a form of it, nitrous oxide, thatâÂÂs beneficial for plants. So when nitrogen-enriched rain falls from the skies, it gives plants a boost. My hypothesis is based on information covered in a book I'm writing on electro-horticulture (& plant electrophysiology) - that an abundance of free-floating ions from looming electrical storms creates a charge imbalance on plant cell walls. This imbalance will lead to a wide array of physiological changes within the plants ranging from increased growth rate to increased pigmentation and photosynthesis abilities. Charge imbalances induce "action potentials" within electrically active cells in plants affecting metabolism, structure, hormones, and gene expression.

thanks- these pics are mainly from the front yard. the large tree in the first pic is a Colorado blue spruce, surrounding by smaller green giants mostly. The second pic is a norway spruce in full bloom. The last pic is a fat albert spruce- again surrounded by green giants, and a norway spruce peeking in the pic on the right. I have a few bloodgood japanese maples too to pop in some red color. Hope this helps. I know I am not up on all the latin names and such and don't claim to know as much as alot of other people here- but I enjoy doing it. Much of this hobby is trial and error. So it pays to research stuff before you pay for anything. I've lost alot of stuff too.

Wishfulthinking, Do you know if they are black locust or honeylocust? I can tell you a couple of things them. First, they grow very quickly so you will want to keep an eye on the seedlings that will pop up, and they do pop up everywhere! They will sucker as well and, if left unchecked, they will create thickets of clones all connected by one root system. Many actually consider them a pest tree because of their invasive quality. Their "clone islands" create competition for sun and bee pollination (they do get white flowers). They were originally introduced in this region for mining soil reclamation because they help fix nitrogen deficiencies, and those "clone islands" served as erosion control. And for their very hard wood that makes great fenceposts and lumber. I have several on my lot and while they aren't exactly pretty trees (very tall and skinny) they do provide shade and they are all so old that I couldn't really remove them all and replace them. So my strategy is to control the suckering and seedlings and plant taller, more wildflower type of beds around them to soften the look. As to the lack of leaves - can you get a closer look? You might have webworms, or leafminers. Try a google search and you'll find lots of info about the trees and their harmful pests. Angela

Before you kill yourself, you can come over and put me out of my misery. I thought I had Lyme, but that test came back negative. Whatever I have, has made it almost impossible to walk for the last six weeks, so I haven't been out in the garden much. When I have been out, I've been shocked at how much has been eaten. I didn't mind a few nibbles now and then, but this is wholesale carnage in certain areas. This is after I almost ran over a very young fawn with the garden tractor this spring and made it run off, hopefully for good. (this is for the people who worry about mowing chipmunks) A fence is definitely in our future, but I really don't see how to only enclose the garden in a manner that doesn't look like a fortress. I'm also not sure I've really got enough room between my gardens and my neighbor's property.