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It may not be worth it to rake every leaf in your yard, but it’s necessary to remove the majority of leaves to prevent them from smothering grass growth on your lawn. However, raking leaves isn’t your only option for leaf removal. You can remove leaves easily with a leaf blower or compost or mulch them with your lawn mower to repurpose them to help grow your garden or yard.

Stay inside or well away until the storm passes. Don’t go outside to inspect the tree until the weather clears, especially if the tree is on a hill or isolated in a field. Lightning often strikes the same easily-accessed places multiple times, and you could be a new target. If a lightning strike causes a noticeable fire, alert emergency services. When the storm is over, take a closer look to gauge the damage done.

Completely topping a plum tree is a risky business. Cut too much, and you’ll kill your tree. That said, you do need to trim the top of your tree to encourage bushy growth, maintain your tree’s vase shape, and limit size. 

A plum tree's central leader (or trunk) should never extend more than 3 feet above the highest branch. When you first plant your tree, cut the central leader so it’s 2 to 3 feet tall. As it grows, cut it back 12 to 20 inches until it reaches its desired height. Never prune more than one-third of the new growth.

It's easy to misidentify trees that appear to be maple trees due to similarities in leaf shapes. Sweetgum, sycamore, and yellow poplar all have leaf shapes and appearances similar to maples. The fact that around a dozen maple tree varieties exist, only about half of which are considered common, makes misidentification an often typical occurrence.