Cypress Bark Mulch

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to offer a special deal on Cypress Bark Mulch. We have an excess supply and need to unload.

Actually, my favorite tree got blasted over the weekend.

I’ve posted before about how I like Cypress trees. For instance, see Cupressaceae. There you can see the top of my largest one (taken last fall):

Ol’ Baldy

Well, on Saturday afternoon we had a bunch of pop-up thunderstorms go through. We had a lightning strike really close by. I stepped out on our deck to see if I could see anything (like smoke or flames), but nothing was obvious. It was only later the next day that I noticed a lot of branches down underneath the pine area of our yard.

Excessive Branches on the Ground

I should have said the “pine area with one cypress”. There were a lot of cypress branches around the cypress tree.

It’s a Jungle in There

There was a reason for that. The tree had really gotten zapped.

Half a Cypress

In the woods I’ve seen trees that have been hit by lightning but haven’t done too badly. You can see the scar where the bolt traveled down the side.

That is obviously not the case here. My poor old cypress exploded when the lightning went through it. Here’s some more of the separated part.

The Big Split

And here’s another shot.

Mostly Missing

Here’s where you can see just how far some of the pieces were flung. There were other pieces way out in my grass.

Ground Cover

Here is that same large piece looking out from the trunk.

Naked Exposure

The trunk itself has huge cracks running down it all the way to the ground. This shot is right near the base of the tree.

Cracked

The tree still has some intact branches, so maybe it’ll survive. But I tend to doubt it. That was one major hit it took.

In the meantime, here’s a nicer shot of it taken in happier times.

Happier Times

Requiescat in Pace