I am constantly reminded to avoid sheltering under trees in a storm. Most reminders are large branches and trees I find that are falling now at a much faster rate than they are being replaced. I wonder whether this is due to trees being less protected in isolated reserves, stronger winds or lower subsoil moisture. Either way, bird and wildlife habitats are being lost and a day will come when we will have to replace them to avoid dramatic local species loss.
Another reason became clear as I was exploring a granite outcrop in Borgey Block. I came upon large, jagged slabs of fresh wandoo trunk scattered through the rocks that surrounded a destroyed mature wandoo. A lightning strike had completely split the tree and blown stem pieces and branches around a twenty-metre radius. The tree had literally exploded with the trunk split down to ground level.
Surprisingly, it was still (barely) alive.
A friend who was did insurance assessments made this interesting comment "​I have high respect for lightning;  seen many trees split asunder and of course many insurance claim inspections on livestock victims.  
Always fascinates me how different tree species carry a lightning charge.  Most Wandoos literally blow up and scatter everywhere, red gums carry similar damage but sometimes just shatter in the upper trunk, Jarrah carries the charge down the outside of the trunk like a chisel groove and York gums often just pop off branches or top trunk.  I don’t think I have ever seen a lightning strike on a salmon gum even though they are often the tallest, single tree in the neighbourhood"

This fascinating article shows that lightning can have a range of effects on a tree

In 2024 I noticed a strange spiral pattern on a Rock Sheoak tree, which was still alive. Splinters littered the ground out to about 20 metres. I think that the tree was dry when struck by lightning, which ran down through the sapwood that exploded as the sap was boiled.

Greetings fellow Foxies,
Delightful Verticordias or Featherflowers, flower in our local reserves from October to early November when peak flowering has passed. Local verticordias prefer sands and sandy gravels, commonly in kwongan sandplain.
The genus Verticordia (Myrtaceae family) comes from Latin meaning “turner of hearts”, which refers to Venus the Roman goddess of love, whose favourite plant was a myrtle. Early plant taxonomists were a romantic lot. 

​Verticordias have delightful feathery petals and sepals that come in all colours except blue.
Some can be a bit confusing for non-specialists like me to identify as flowers in species like Verticordia huegelii below and Verticordia grandiflora change colour as they mature. 

Good spots to see verticordias are

• Kwongan scrub about 500 metres past the turnoff to Yilliminning Rock on Birdwhistle Road. Wonderful display of pinkish white Verticordia eriocephala in a low slope on the west of the road.
• Harrismith Nature reservewww.foxeslair.org/foxypress/harrismith-nature-reserve. Several species in kwongan upland.
• The Kwongan Walk at Candy Block in October ( also other interesting kwongan wildflowers)
• Newman Block. Look for Verticordia acerosa and Verticordia grandiflora on the upland gravel part of the Orchid Walk. There is a lovely show of pink Verticordia densiflora on the white sand part of the Sandplain Walk in early November if there has been good spring rain.
• Stops 2 and 3 at Highbury Nature Reserve.