We had a huge thunderstorm move through last night. It was impressive and noisy!
In addition to providing a spectacular light show lightning also helps fertilize the soil.
A thunderstorm has enough electrical energy in lightning to separate the nitrogen atoms in the air. Once the atoms are separated they can fall to earth with rain water, and combine with minerals in the soil to form nitrates, a type of fertilizer. The nitrogen-containing nitrates in the soil are absorbed by the plants.
