Snow Feathers

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. Last Saturday (the 9th) I had a similar experience - I went outside to walk the dogs in the morning and a frost was coating everything making it so beautiful.  This Saturday (the 16th) Mother Nature had a bigger surprise for me.  I've decided to call what I saw "Snow Feathers" because that is what they look like to me.  It hadn't snowed over night - there was not a sheet of white coating everything, just fine feather like shards of snow attached to the surfaces of things.  I was fascinated.

I walked the dogs and after they were settled I grabbed my camera with a macro lens attached and made sure my boots were tied tight (as I knew snow banks were involved in this adventure) and I headed out.  I wish it hadn't been so gray and over cast but sun would have quickly melted these snow feathers away.  The wind froze my cheeks and moved the very subjects I was trying to photograph but I'm glad I braved a chilly morning to photograph the snow feathers.

01/1/2010 - (edited to add) - I'm delighted that Liz knew what this was!! It is called "Hoar Frost" and according to Wikipedia

"Radiation frost (also called hoar frost or hoarfrost) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air."

I'm so excited to know what this is.  The world was covered with this same frost this morning but it was a bit dark at 5:30 when I walked the dogs for pictures.  I wish I wouldn't have left my camera sitting on the dining room table though because I could have gotten some awesome landscape shots.  Oh well. (end add)

This last photograph, for some reason, is one of my favorite photos I've ever taken.

I hope you enjoyed looking at the snow feathers!