Springfield, Illinois, is facing a winter storm warning and sub-zero temperatures as frigid temperatures sweep across the continent this weekend. To mark the occasion, the collegiate summer level Springfield Lucky Horseshoes unveiled an alternate identity that plays into a weather-based urban legend, the Midwest Exploding Trees.
To hear the keyboard meteorologists on social media tell it, trees that are warmed by the sun during the day are filled with sap and moisture that freeze at night, expanding quickly and causing trees to explode. This phenomenon is captured in the Lucky Horseshoes’ Exploding Trees logo, which is equal parts oak tree, mushroom cloud, and angry Groot.
While exploding trees have dominated the headlines, the reality is that trees make popping sounds and sometimes crack in extreme cold in a process called “frost cracking,” but don’t explode without the aid of actual explosives.
While the Lucky Horseshoes will take the field in Prospect League play this year starting May 26, fans of the Exploding Trees alternate identity will have to wait a year—the new alternate will make its on-field debut in 2027.
