Winter's Ephemeral Works of Art
In winter, when the temperature drops well below zero during the night, hoar frost and ice add spectacular ornamentation to the simplest of things in Nature. However, these crystalline creations are usually all short-lived, and soon melt in the sun of a new day.
 Icicle-covered branches hanging over a small stream in winter in Glen Affric.  Hoar frost crystals on reeds on a pond near the River Moriston on Dundreggan.  Ice pattern on a frozen pond on Dundreggan. |
 Hoar frost on grass and alder trees (Alnus glutinosa) beside the River Moriston on Dundreggan.  Detail of the frost crystals on one of the reeds.  Hoar frost on a bracken frond (Pteridium aquilinum) in Glen Affric. |
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