Hail the size of...

Occasionally you read about hailstones large enough to do serious damage. If they can break glass, I shudder to think what they would do to plants?!

The hail we had the other day was nothing compared to the grapefruit-sized hailstones that fell on Nebraska in 2003, but it came down fast and furious for a few minutes and made a surprisingly loud racket. Here are the three short videos I recorded from the front porch:

It's funny, nothing seems to lure people out of their houses like unusual weather. Like magic, everybody appears at the front door to get a front-row seat to the spectacle!

Here are some photos showing plants "decorated" with hailstones:

Agave cupreata

Agave guadalajarana 'Leon'

 

Agave schidigera

Dyckia 'Naked Lady' with scars from a previous encounter with hail

I quickly covered my Hechtia glauca. It has very soft leaves.

×Dyckcohnia 'Zebra'

 

Hailstones on furry balls

×Mangave 'Moonglow'

×Mangave 'Lavender Lady'

Agave weberi 'Arizona Star'

Fortunately, the damage was limited. However, some plants with particularly soft leaves, like these two dudleyas, will have dings for a while:

Dudleya cymosa 'Red Giant'

Dudleya cymosa × britonii

And Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass' has a few more battle scars:

Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass'