Manic Monday - Frost
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Frost flowers is the name commonly given to a condition in which thin layers of ice are extruded from long-stemmed plants in autumn or early winter. The thin layers of ice are often formed into exquisite patterns that curl into "petals" that resemble flowers.
The formation of frost flowers, also known as "ice flowers," is apparently dependent on a freezing weather condition occurring when the ground is not already frozen. The sap in the stem of the plants will expand (water expands when frozen), causing long, thin cracks to form along the length of the stem. Water is then drawn through these cracks via capillary action and freezes upon contact with the air. As more water is drawn through the cracks it pushes the thin ice layers further from the stem, causing a thin "petal" to form. In the case of woody plants and tree branches the freezing water is squeezed through the pores of the plant forming long thin strings of ice that look uncannily like hair ie: "frost beard".The petals of frost flowers are very delicate and will break when touched. They usually melt or sublimate when exposed to sunlight and are usually visible in the early morning or in shaded areas. **You can click the images for a closer view.**
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24 comments, add yours here:
wow, fascinating post__I didn't know that!! Very beautiful.
Have a great Monday!
Those look very cool! No pun intended.
Happy MM!
Ian
Those are beautiful. Thank you for something I never even knew existed.
Never heard of this. What a great frost contribution. Have a great MM. :)
That is just so overwhelming. Nature has it's own way of showing its beauty. Love #s2 and 3 the most.
Not a member yet but would like to. How do you get the blogroll code?
Hey thos are awesome! Nice photos!!
amazingly beautiful...I never even knew they existed. great idea for frost!
Wonderful post! I didn't know about this phenomonom either. See, you're never too old to learn after all!
Thank you for the lovely pictures. I didn't know these existed...
Wow-I've never heard of or seen these before! Very interesting-thanks for showing it to us Tisha!
Those are so pretty.. like little clouds come down to earth. Excellent MM!
That's really fascinating and pretty! Reminds me of cotton.
Ya learn something new every day!
Thanks for sharing that..very cool.
Peace
Thsoe are beautiful! Living here in SE Texas, we rarely see ice or frost. Except in our freezers.
Frost flowers are beautiful. After living 10 years in NJ and 7 years in MI, I have never seen these. Wow. I've missed out.
I know these don't exist in So. Cal or Seattle.........
What beautiful photos!
Thanks for visiting - here & there... I linked ya'back!
My goodness, those almost don't look real! I've never heard of this before (yeah, I know, that's what everyone else has said). Is this something that only happens in certain areas or certain types of plants?
Cool, here's my something learned today!
Thanks for your visit today!
Oh my, those are certainly pretty. One of nature's lovely gifts. Thanks for sharing the info and the pics.
Whoa! Crazy working mom, I've never seen those and I live in the Northeast. Maybe I don't get up early enough! :)
GORGEOUS! I have never seen anything like that before, thanks for sharing those pictures :) Happy MM!
I've never heard of that. It kind of looks like feathers. Neat!
Happy MM!
That is so cool... and you did a great job of explaining how it happens. I wonder how I got through two botony classes without every hearing about those. Maybe if I got outside before the sun came up once in a while, I'd have seen one.
Like many others, I have never seen or heard about this before. It's a very interesting post and perfect for the theme. Thanks for sharing this, I know many of us learned something new here today.
Whoof!! A woofender post, beautiful piktures. ARF.
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