Though being struck by lightning is usually bad, the tropical tree Dipteryx oleifera benefits. A strike kills other nearby trees and parasitic vines.

We all want what is best for our beloved houseplants. So, if there's a chance that putting rocks at the bottom of a planter is going to help them flourish, any good plant parent would do it, right?

Lightning is usually seen as a harbinger of destruction in forests, killing or damaging trees in their blasts. But in the ...