The Beauty of Ice and Frost

Ice and frost are so beautiful and their beauty is worth another look when you see it forming on these cold days. The random crystalline forms are breathtakingly beautiful to see and are only here for a brief moment in time so be sure to look for them.

And not just to look…..but to see!

Here are some beautiful examples of how stunning ice can be. Hoar frost  (hoar is an old Middle English word meaning aged or grey with age) is formed when interlocking ice crystals become attached to objects, similar to how dew forms. Beautiful. It make a piece of art work out of the common chain link fence, doesn’t it?

Here is the rare frost flower which forms under perfect conditions. A frost flower is created when ice in extremely thin layers is pushed out from the stems of plants or wood. This extrusion creates wonderful patterns which curl and fold into gorgeous frozen “flower petals” giving this phenomenon its name.

Haven’t we all seen the wonderful patterns of ice crystals forming on our windshields or window glass when the temperatures drop? Isn’t it remarkable how they seem to mimic the pattern of a fern?

I remember riding the bus to school on cold winter days and blowing my breath on the window on these ferny patterns, slowly watching them form again. It’s funny how you remember simple things like that. ( Back in those days, the buses slapped on chains and came to get you, no matter how much you prayed for those “rare” snow days.)

I love to wake up on winter mornings and see a coating of ice over everything. It looks so pretty, but it is one side of a double-edged sword. I surely don’t want to drive in it. And the weight of the ice can bring power lines down, and damage trees and evergreens. But it is so lovely to look at! When the sun shines through it all, it seems as if the world is covered in diamonds.

Beauty is everywhere you look in the winter ice. So take a second look and appreciate it for what it is. Then plow your way through it to get to work, or to your next appointment. Just stop a moment to see its beauty. Thanks for reading!