Today has been the weirdest day.
I woke up to the sound of a gully washer, followed less than an hour later by sunshine and dramatic skies. Before I finished my 2nd cup of coffee, the sun was gone, obscured by clouds so dark that I considered turning on the light. Lightning and thunder were next, and then the clouds opened up again, but what poured forth wasn’t rain but hail. It only lasted for a couple of minutes, but it was the most intense hail storm I had ever seen. Knowing that the hail stones would melt very quickly, I grabbed my camera and headed outside to document this unusual event.
Now, an hour and a half later, there’s no trace it ever happened (except for the pile near the key lime, see below), the sun is shining, and I just saw a hummingbird flutter by outside.
Silly me, I thought today was May 15th, but apparently it’s still April.
![110515_hail_roof 110515_hail_roof](//lh3.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnFRe5bdI/AAAAAAAAESQ/1l0GCIui5hM/110515_hail_roof_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Hail on roof |
![110515_hail_backyard1 110515_hail_backyard1](//lh3.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnIaAV17I/AAAAAAAAETw/Oluokc4kBoU/110515_hail_backyard1_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Violets (Viola odorata), Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra), and potted squid agave (Agave bracteosa) in back yard |
![110515_hail_backyard2 110515_hail_backyard2](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnK_84QSI/AAAAAAAAESg/oxYILQN-StE/110515_hail_backyard2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
This could be a photo of the first snow fall of the season (if it ever snowed here) |
![110515_hail_veg_beds 110515_hail_veg_beds](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnNNBnUjI/AAAAAAAAESo/mm9Joq9TCTY/110515_hail_veg_beds_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Raised vegetable beds |
![110515_hail_cacti 110515_hail_cacti](//lh6.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnPH8NdKI/AAAAAAAAESw/zNw3TaqEjno/110515_hail_cacti_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Succulent display table |
![110515_hail_keylime 110515_hail_keylime](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnRTfSaJI/AAAAAAAAES4/NtSe0Vh7_uQ/110515_hail_keylime_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
A whole avalanche of hail shooting off the roof and collecting next to our potted key lime |
![110515_hail_miscanthus_silberpfeil 110515_hail_miscanthus_silberpfeil](//lh6.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnTtFbvbI/AAAAAAAAETA/5AfHevw3NpU/110515_hail_miscanthus_silberpfeil_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Variegated maiden hair grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberpfeil’) outside the front yard fence |
![110515_hail_delosperma_cooperi 110515_hail_delosperma_cooperi](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnV7aoNAI/AAAAAAAAETI/LPDKLhQjzlY/110515_hail_delosperma_cooperi_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Trailing ice plant (Delosperma cooperi), looking decidedly more forlorn than usual |
![110515_hail_agave_desmettiana 110515_hail_agave_desmettiana](//lh3.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnX_HjtvI/AAAAAAAAET4/RqoyzsAnZhU/110515_hail_agave_desmettiana_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ |
![110515_hail_agave_lophanta_quadricolor 110515_hail_agave_lophanta_quadricolor](//lh3.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnZe7J7wI/AAAAAAAAETY/sQz0GuXzvWU/110515_hail_agave_lophanta_quadricolor_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Agave lophanta ‘Quadricolor’ |
![110515_hail_puya-coerulea-violacea 110515_hail_puya-coerulea-violacea](//lh6.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAnbXCcn9I/AAAAAAAAEUA/vtNE2WIqIqs/110515_hail_puya-coerulea-violacea_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Puya coerulea var. violacea |
While hail damage was minimal overall, some plants were affected. (Click here for an update.)
![110515_hail_after_karley_rose 110515_hail_after_karley_rose](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAt1sMBBFI/AAAAAAAAEUI/bAFvLlWeM2E/110515_hail_after_karley_rose_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Karly Rose fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose’) looking decidedly less perky than the other day |
![110515_hail_after_gaura 110515_hail_after_gaura](//lh4.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAt4W7eF9I/AAAAAAAAEUQ/yUBdofwVbMQ/110515_hail_after_gaura_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Siskiyou Pink gaura (Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink') looks a tad flattened, too |
![110515_hail_echeveria_bifida_metallica 110515_hail_echeveria_bifida_metallica](//lh6.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAt6Yck9II/AAAAAAAAEUY/07yRy9ylQb8/110515_hail_echeveria_bifida_metallica_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
Echeveria bifida var. metallica showing cosmetic damage—darker green is showing where the purplish metallic skin was punctured |
![110515_hail_after_euphorbia_martinii 110515_hail_after_euphorbia_martinii](//lh3.ggpht.com/_RD5I_GNoXAI/TdAuB1IDopI/AAAAAAAAEUg/RgDwZnPXLlg/110515_hail_after_euphorbia_martinii_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800) |
This is a Euphorbia x martinii, one of the woody spurges. Like all euphorbias, its sap is a milky latex-like substance that is irritating to some people. It looks like the hail stones must have hit the plant hard enough to release some of the sap because the entire plant is dotted with white drops of latex. None of our other woody spurges show this kind of damage. |
5/20/2011: Click here for a hail damage update.
Hey, your 'Karley Rose' looks like mine now! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSorry to see the damage -- you don't get hail during growing season normally?
Alan, frankly, I can't remember the last time we had hail--or a thunderstorm for that matter. Aside from strong winds, we really don't get violent weather all that often.
ReplyDeleteThe damage is so minor, I'm not concerned.