The electrical energy generated by thunderstorms can make our hair stand up, and even create invisible sparkles on trees. During a thunderstorm in North Carolina in June 2024, scientists spotted weak electrical discharges called coronae on the tips of leaves. Based on this discovery, it’s possible that thunderstorms may paint entire tree canopies with an ethereal blue glow that is too faint for human eyes to see. Given how often the leaf tips may burn, the storms could be harming the tree canopy and may have even shaped tree evolution to limit the damage. They look like a blue glow,” McFarland said, recalling when his team recreated the phenomenon indoors by putting grounded tree leaves underneath charged metal plates.