lightning struck tree

I took Monkey to the Cove one afternoon a while back (same park where we rented a kayak, actually) and as we were walking around, I noticed this tree with a hole in it.  As I looked closer,  I noticed that there was also a split along the front leading from the ground up. As Monkey and I examined further, I noticed the charcoal of burnt wood all around the interior cavity of the tree.   I first took pictures of the leaves that I could see through the hole in the tree.  This first picture I categorize as a "happy accident."  Isn't it cool?

This is the other side of that tree.  Notice the charring around and above the hole.

a closer look at that hole...

This is the same view as the first picture, only with better exposure and lighting.

The split from the ground went several feet above Monkey's head.  The base of the cavity was about 2 to 3 feet across the ground, completely burned out.  Amazing what lightning can do!