Frost Flowers

Today while chatting with my boss I mentioned I'd seen frost flowers again this year for the second year in a row. To my knowledge I'd never seen them prior to last year.  I may have blissfully overlooked them in the past but last year conditions last were such that the hill on my property was fully littered with them. In fact, litter is exactly what I thought I was looking at when I first saw them. 

I went to take a closer look at what kind of paper scraps were everywhere. I was surprised to learn that what I was looking at was not paper at all but actually ice crystals. I had no idea what frost flowers were until that point. 

A bit of investigation led me to the Missouri Department of Conservation website where I learned what this phenomenon is all about. Apparently only a few species of plants produce frost flowers and only then when specific weather conditions exist. 

The first hard freeze of the season will rupture a plant's stem. When followed by a period of warmer weather the root system continues sending sap up from the warmer ground. When overnight temps hit a certain point, the sap being pushed through he broken stem freezes on contact with the freezing air. As more sap moves up, a ribbon of frozen ice crystals forms. 

These formations are as fragile as they are beautiful and fade away quickly as the sun rises. Hunting for them first thing in the morning will provide you the best opportunity of finding them. As only a few plants seem to produce frost flowers and the stems need to be a bit longer you're unlikely to find them in  neatly manicured areas. 

Witnessing frost flowers firsthand is an absolute joy. Any photographer that comes across this beautiful phenomenon will obviously want to photograph them. As they fade quickly once the sun is fully up I suggest getting out early and using an additional light to fake that great dimensional, albeit destructive, light the sun will provide a bit later. 

For these I equipped my 90D camera with my Sigma 105 macro lens and used a couple supplemental lights to provide dimension. I love my little Promaster LED flat panel light. For this type of work its perfect. I also added a a high powered small flashlight to give me the distinct highlights direct sunlight would. 

I hope seeing these inspires you to go look for some frost flowers when the conditions are right. Its a great excuse to get the camera out on a cold morning when you might otherwise be tempted to stay in with a cup of coffee. The coffee is great but you won't get images like this from your couch! Happy hunting.