The old saying says that you should make lemonade when life gives you lemons, so when life gives me cold I take photos of the ice. The one above shows what a little glimpse of sun on a cold, cloudy winter day looks like. There seems to be little real heat coming from it but I suppose if it wasn’t there we’d know what cold was really all about. We’ve seen the temperature fall to as low as -12 °F (-24 °C) so far, and there’s a lot of January left.
In the old house I grew up in the curtains would blow in the breeze even when the windows were closed and frost grew on the windows all winter long, so I grew up admiring all of the different shapes that can be seen in ice. They can be very beautiful and I still admire them.
Ferns, flowers, trees; window frost can take on almost any shape and I’ve always wondered what made them grow in the shapes that they do. I finally found the answer at Snow Crystals.com: “Window frost forms when a pane of glass is exposed to below-freezing temperatures on the outside and moist air on the inside. Water vapor from the air condenses as frost on the inside surface of the window. Scratches, residual soap streaks, etc., can all change the way the crystals nucleate and grow.”
Fingers of ice suspended above the water of a stream revealed how much the water level had dropped since they formed.
The same drop in water level can be seen along the river, but the ice here shows it in a different way. In rivers and streams ice always seems to start forming on the banks before working its way toward the middle but on lakes and ponds it is just the opposite; it starts forming in the middle and works its way towards shore. I’m sure that the movement of the water in rivers and streams has a lot to do with it, but there must be more to it than that.
Last winter the river rose higher than I’ve ever seen it in this spot due to down river ice jams blocking the flow, and thick ice covered everything that can be seen in this photo. It was like an ice covered wasteland and you couldn’t tell where the land stopped and the water started. Best to stay off that kind of ice.
I thought it was strange that all of the larger stones along the river were coated with ice but the smaller stones weren’t. I would have guessed that it would be the reverse, because it seems like the larger stones would absorb and hold more heat from the sun and keep the water from freezing. Could it be that the larger stones take longer than the smaller ones to absorb that heat? Just another of nature’s mysteries to add to an ever growing list.
Along another small stream I saw more ice needles than I’ve ever seen in one place. There were many millions of them growing out of the gravel, all along its banks. Usually I see ice needles that are coated with the soil that they grow out of but these were surprisingly clean because of the gravel.
They were also the longest ice needles that I’ve seen. Many were 6-8 inches long. When the air temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit right at the soil surface and the soil and groundwater remain thawed, hydrostatic pressure can force the groundwater, sometimes super cooled, out of the soil where it freezes instantly into a “needle.” As more water is forced out of the soil the process is repeated over and over, and each needle grows in length because of more water freezing at its base. From what I’ve seen the needles almost always freeze together and form ribbons like those seen in the above photo.
Ice needles are very fragile, as you can imagine. I wanted to move a leaf so I could get a better shot of some needles but when I moved it the needles went with it. You can see how they’ve attached to the underside of the leaf along with some hoar frost that has grown there. I was surprised to find that ice ribbons weigh next to nothing-little more than the dry leaf they were hanging from, so it must take very little water to make them.
The whiter the ice, the more air bubbles were trapped in it when it froze. That explains the color, but what explains the long, needle like crystals and the strange pinging noise it makes when it breaks? There might be answers to those questions out there, but I haven’t been able to find them.
Hoarfrost grows whenever it’s cold and there is a source of water vapor nearby. When it is below freezing the water vapor from unfrozen rivers and streams often condenses on the plants all along their banks and covers them in hoarfrost, as this fern leaf shows.
More examples of hoarfrost. It looks so very delicate that I often have to remind myself to breathe while I’m taking its photo. One touch of a warm finger, a ray of sunshine, or a warm breath and they’re gone.
Ice can be very abstract. This streamside example had a lot of large bubbles frozen in place and it showed a surprising amount of depth as well as abstraction and it reminded me of the old black and white Twilight Zone TV episodes from the 60s. I can see an eye and a set of teeth and a flying bird and a fish skeleton and several other things in it so you see, ice can even give us the imagination of a child again, at least for a little while. I can’t think of many gifts greater than that one.
Ice can also reveal the hidden groundwater that seems to seep out of the soil year round but is nearly impossible to detect until it freezes. Once winter shows us where it is if we can remember to return to the spot in the summer we might find some interesting plants there. Some orchids, certain liverworts, and other fascinating plants like to grow where water constantly seeps. In this spot the liverwort known as greater whipwort (Bazzania trilobata) grows in abundance.
In this photo the ice seems to be letting us see into the future. I can see a couple of large boulders and even a tree or two being toppled by this stream before too long. Of course because of the way ice expands it might set things to tumbling before it even has a chance to melt.
Ice burns, and it is hard for the warm-skinned to distinguish one sensation, fire, from the other, frost. ~A.S. Byatt,
Thanks for coming by.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays.
Hello there! I keep seeing your name at the “Scott’s Place” blog. I came to look and you have pictures of frost and I have pictures of frost on
uribotanicalgardens.wordpress.com
Yes, we had frost inside the windows in the old house I grew up in too 🙂
I enjoyed looking through your blog very much. Great pictures, and thoughtful observations of nature in your part of the world.
Best,
Gabrielle
Hello and welcome. Yes, I visit Scott’s blog regularly. It’s always interesting and so different from what I’m used to seeing.
I’m glad you found this blog to your liking. There’s really never any telling what you’ll see here but it will always be an interesting bit of nature that you might not have notices.
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for explaining the “ice needles”. I saw some on a hike a couple weeks ago and didn’t know what they were or what caused them..
You’re welcome. I hope you were able to get a close look at them. They’re really fascinating things!
Off-topic comment Allen but I thought you may be interested in this article from the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30583512 Mostly about states quite a bit south of you but having seen you comment about invasive species a few times, I thought it may interest you.
Thanks Jim, that’s a good story. They’ve used sheep and goats here under the power lines where machines can’t go and it has been pretty successful. I always wonder how they keep them from just running off into the woods, but it seems to work.
There’s very little ice here so far this year and your post has made me realise how much I’m missing it. Of course I’m not missing the cold that goes with it but you can’t have everything 🙂
Yes, it’s hard to have one without the other! I find ice fascinating too but I’m ready for the cold to go back up north where it belongs. We haven’t even seen average temperatures this month.
Beautiful, Allen…reminds me a bit of what I used to find up in the Wasatch at this time of year. Fascinating stuff, for sure. Enjoyable commentary….
Thanks Scott. I remember seeing photos of the ice from up there. Maybe Arizona will give you a few opportunities for some ice photos too.
You’re welcome, Allen….and Arizona might do that…seems that I’ll need to head north a bit to find some. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
Yes, I’m sure that ice must be a rare commodity there but I’ve heard that it can get quite cold in the desert, so I wish you luck!
It certainly can get cold out there, so it will be a matter of finding the right locations with the water.
Enjoyed the hoar frost shots. We live on a pond that serves as a vapor source even when sheathed in ice and provides this show a few times a year when the night is very still and very cold. We have always called them ice feathers for obvious reasons: see attachments. John Patterson, Peterborough
Thank you John. That’s interesting that you still get vapor from a pond covered in ice. I didn’t realize that could happen. Ice feathers is a good description and I’d love to see your photos, but I don’t think WordPress allows attachments with comments. I think you’ll have to send them in an email, which you can do by clicking on the “contact me” tab at the top of the page. Thanks again.
Really enjoyed this one Allen. Your cold weather is our gain.
Thanks Jim. It hasn’t warmed up at all this January so you might see some more ice before it’s over.
Your photos are lovely. I too miss the icy window “ferns” of my childhood. Our 1895 house has its original windows, improved in 1958 with the aluminum combination storm windows; now they are obsolete, but hanging in there! Clear plastic film kits to cover the insides of windows are still for sale in stores, and we have some of those.
Thank you Charlotte. This house has one window that grows frost on the inside. Why only one window does it is a mystery but I look forward to seeing the frosty designs each winter so I don’t fix it.
An 1895 house with original windows is a rare thing, I would think. I didn’t know they still sold those shrinking plastic window kits. I hope they help you keep those original windows in your house!
Love the creativity in your images, especially the ice crystals and the frozen waterfall.
Thank you Charlie. Since it doesn’t seem to be warming any here you’ll most likely see a few more photos of ice!
Great ice shots!
Thank you!
Ice formations are can be spectacular and you’ve caught some real beauties.
Thank you Mary. I find ice fascinating and beautiful but I’m getting ready for spring!
So soon? Just kidding, I get it.
These pictures are stunning, Allen. Each of them a work of art, indeed.
Thank you Cynthia, I’m glad you liked them!
Wonderful post! We were just recently out walking in some frigid temps and got to see a lot of hoarfrost and the ice needles seeping out of the ground. Winter can be a wonderful time! 🙂
Thank you Tamara. It seems like you don’t see ice needles as often as you do other kinds of ice, so they’re always great to see. I hope your boys will find this a kid friendly blog where they can learn a lot about nature.
I love the ice as you do! These photos are elegant!
Thanks Montucky! The ice is growing with leaps and bounds here now.
Brilliant Post! Your photography is awe inspiring and your prose is perfect. I have always loved but not understood the world of winter ice. Hoarfrost was particularly intriguing yet baffling. Thank you for a wondrous journey!
You’re welcome, and thank you Martha. Hoarfrost is easy. Cold air and warm water is all it takes. In fact, you can make it yourself if you have a place where you can boil water outside in the winter. It’s easier just to take a walk along a stream though!
When the girls were little on our farm we always called it “Fairy Frost!”
Ice sure is gifted with creativity! Enjoyed, especially since we haven’t had much ice yet.
Thank you. As I know that you know, ice can be fascinating. I’m not sure I’d wish for much of it though!
It doesn’t take much ice to keep me in. I like it like the last 2 days with ice freezing in a small rock creek only 4 or so miles from here.
I know what you mean. We had an ice storm a week ago and today in the woods I was sliding all over the place even with Yak Trax on. Ice in a small creek sounds nice and tame after that.
We have freezing rain coming. I went back over to the small wet-weather creek and took 166 pictures. Of course I take a few of each section that catches my attention.
I too take plenty of photos. We don’t have to worry about it now like we used to in the days of film! I’m looking forward to seeing what caught your attention.
A lot caught my attention! Been sitting here looking back through the ones I took today. There’s so much to choose from. The ice outdid itself!
It sounds like you’ve got enough for a few posts. I’ve got at least one more about ice coming up and maybe more if it doesn’t warm up.
At least the ice gave you a legitimate excuse to freeze the waterfall in your shot. You made it look as though it would be paradise to be out in the cold.
I couldn’t have thawed that waterfall with a camera if I had wanted to. It can be like a paradise at times in the winter, but it can also get very cold. I spent the afternoon outdoors today and I’m still shivering.
Well, I think that your shivers were well worth while.
Thank you, I’m glad that you thought so.
When life gives me cold, I get the heck out of Dodge. 🙂
I don’t blame you Eric. If I said that I hadn’t thought of that I’d be lying, so I won’t!
That is some serious, but beautiful, cold. It is splendid to see the delicate and varied formations. Here in my part of the world (where the coldest temperature never gets below -10C) I only ever get air hoar frost, ground frost and occasionally, black ice, which has no photographic quality whatever! Stay warm 🙂
Thanks Matt! Yes, this is the kind of cold that you have to pay attention to because frostbite is always a very real possibility. At times here in New Hampshire -10C would feel like a heat wave. I hadn’t thought of it but I agree-black ice wouldn’t make for a very interesting photo!
Those are all cool shots, we have a lot of ice here too and the icicle’s are getting larger and larger on the rocks. Especially on the north side of the mountain! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Michael. You’re a mind reader! I’m headed out this afternoon to see how big the ice columns are getting on the ledges. I hope you have a great weekend too!
Beautiful and unique photographs. You’ve got us beat on the cold front – our lowest low is -9.
Thanks! That’s one contest I’m hoping that we don’t win! I’ve heard Chicago can get extremely cold. I’ve seen-35 here twice in my lifetime, but we don’t usually drop much below -20.
I instinctively turned up the heat in the house after reading your post. You have definitely captured some of the most beautiful and unusual forms that water takes when the temperature drops. The waterfall at the end is quite dramatic.
I had to laugh at that one! Ice is something worth taking a closer look at, that’s for sure!
Gorgeous.
Thanks Judy!
NHG, This post is *full* of info I never knew. I’ve seen plenty of hoar frost but not as you see it in your photo. A “who knew!” to me. Beautiful–as is the entire post. MCS
Thank you Mary! I think it’s fun sometimes to look a little deeper into those things we’ve all seen a hundred times, but tend to take for granted because we’re so used to them.
Your photos are the most beautiful part of this past week. Cold, cold, cold and without those recommended Yaktrax, I would have never made it to the barn. 🙂
Thanks Judy! Yes, it has been a memorable cold spell and I’m ready for the 30s again. I’m glad those Yak trax came in handy. I don’t go anywhere without them at this time of year.
Really cool post! (sorry, I couldn’t resist that) 😉
Ice fascinates me as well, as you could probably tell from a recent post of mine. It’s funny, but the questions you asked in your post jogged my mind to remember some of the things I learned in science classes way back in the dark ages.
One reason that ice crystals form in different shapes has to do with the minerals and chemicals dissolved in the water as it freezes. Another has to do with what the water is on as it freezes, different materials have different surface tensions (how well the water is “attached to the surface of what it is on) for lack of a better way of putting it. It’s the same on the panes of glass, the “scratches, residual soap streaks, etc.” change the surface tension between the water as it freezes and the glass. The same effect holds true everywhere that ice forms.
You’re correct in your assumption that the large rocks take longer to warm up once their temperature has dropped below freezing, however, once their temperature is above freezing, they do hold their heat longer than the smaller rocks and stones, it’s all a matter of mass.
Great photos, by the way! I went looking for needle ice, but never found any.
Thanks Jerry! It’s always good to meet someone who actually paid attention in science class! You can probably tell that I didn’t. Thanks for the fascinating ice facts, and for confirming my suspicions about the ice on the stones. Seeing that was really odd!
BEYOND COOL
Beautiful pictures
I could say they’re cool but then
They’re actually cold
Thanks Ben! Yes, cold is the word for January in New Hampshire. This morning we had one degree F.
No matter what time of the year there is always something to fascinate!
That’s true, and nature never lets us down!
It’s fascinating to have a whole posting devoted to the different kinds of ice. I especially enjoyed reading about the fern-like ice that forms on windows, reminding me of my childhood days when our windows were single-paned. We’ve have ice like that on windows that we do not cover with clear plastic (does anyone do that anymore?).
Thank Mike! There are other kinds of ice even more beautiful but I couldn’t find any examples of those. I don’t know if anyone does use that plastic on windows anymore. I remember how neat it was to see it get tight by using a hair dryer on it. These days I think we just put in better windows.
Beautiful ice shots, Allen. Hard to imagine it being as cold as that while we are having such strange, warm January weather; 13 degrees C and gales! As a child I also lived in a house with draughty windows and frost on the inside of the glass.
Thank you Clare. You’re very lucky with that warm weather, but I thought I’d better show you what you were missing! I think you’ve been having warm winters there for most of the 4 years I’ve been blogging, so maybe that’s your new normal.
Reblogged this on Writing Out Loud and commented:
More great pictures from the ice man, once the gardener extraordinaire.
Thanks for the re-blog Bob!
Very cool post – pun intended. I think the ice needles and the hoarfrost are my favorites. Beatrice Trum Hunter of Deering had an exhibit at the Currier Gallery of photographs of window ice crystals. I believe it was back in the ’60s. She is quite a fascinating lady. She was 98 the last time I saw her and still loved to see the ice crystals on her porch windows. January has certainly given us plenty of cold for natures artwork.
Thanks Laura! That’s a pun I’m not going to get away from today. I’ve never heard of Beatrice Trum Hunter but I’ve seen some beautiful photos of window frost, so maybe they were hers. Yes, January will go down as a cold one. It was one lonely degree here this morning.
The artist in you has come out strongly in this post, I admired every single one of your photographs scrolling slowly through and gasping with amazement from time to time. It is impossible to choose a favourite though perhaps the penultimate picture wins my vote.
Thank you Susan. Ice has always fascinated me, as you can probably tell. I like that icy waterfall too!