the joys of frost

This is another image from yesterday, when it was bitterly cold.

It’s funny the things you learn because a picture can get you interested in a subject. Yesterday’s image of a small natural frost bridge made me wonder about the exact nature of the frost growing upon the surfaces I photographed yesterday. I love the crystalline structure of the shapes.

It appears that it is hoarfrost, which is a deposit of ice crystals caused by the sublimation of water vapor in the ambient air directly to ice.

Here’s a close-up of another photo I took:

Some of the shapes look like tiny Christmas trees growing on the shrub.

My philosophy with taking images these days is if I notice it, photo it, since it’s unlikely I’ll be able to capture that image the same away again.

For instance, today the temperature went up in the West of Ireland. Not a lot but enough that when the sun came out it made inroads on the ice, and all the enticing crystalline shapes had melted down into lumps.

On the other hand it means the roads around my house are becoming somewhat manageable – although, who knows what will await me tomorrow!