Lightning Strikes

On May 8th, violent thunderstorms with hail and lightning rolled 

through our area and left their mark.

As I was pulling in, I noticed a strange bright line down the trunk of an old dead tree in the side yard.

At closer view, it was clear that the tree had been hit by a lightning bolt, that broke a major branch and stripped the tree of bark, as the bolt traveled down the trunk into the ground. 

After surveying the area more carefully, I could see another tree nearby had also been hit by the same bolt or another. Bark was missing, too, in a stripe down the tree and bark was 

blown off on several limbs. 

On the tree in the foreground here, charred bark is clearly visible and in the background is the other tree that had been hit, which is over 8 feet away.

 Here is another angle. 

Here is an image from wikipedia that shows what this event would have looked like in real time: 

Here is an interesting article to read to consider how to care for a tree after being hit by lightning: 

http://essmextension.tamu.edu/treecarekit/index.php/after-the-storm/tree-damage-and-hazard-assessment/understanding-lightning-and-associated-tree-damage/

Per the article, the second tree hit has damage on several sides and may by severely damaged internally. We will have to watch for wilt and other telling signs.