We finally had the conditions for good frost flowers Thursday night/Friday morning.
Under exactly the right conditions (temperature, moisture, dead sticks ravaged by the correct fungi), dead sticks “grow” strands of ice that form formations that look like locks of hair… or, sometimes, like flowers!
Aesthetically I like the latter term better.
We are lucky enough to live in an area that usually has the correct conditions a few times each winter.
However, this was the first really good batch of frost flowers of the season!
The temperature range has been correct (we’ve been having an unusually chilly span, where it is below freezing each night, above during the day).
This would normally be perfect, but the humidity has been too high!
The result is gloppy frost flowers, where secondary frost messes up the formation.
So it was a joy to go out Friday morning and find lots of really well-grown frost flowers!
This means that the sticks were well sodden, and the temperature range was correct for many hours.
From a distance, they are eye-catching but not beautiful. They just look out of place: clumps of pure white in a landscape of brown and green.
In our area (South Puget Sound), they are strongly associated with alders.
So check your alder groves on a cold morning!
I hope you have enjoyed this foray!
I’ll close out with one that shows off especially nice distinct locks. Because it is a small twig, the growth was not so luxuriant as to hide the structure.
We were lucky enough to go on a land-based tour of the Galapagos between 1/16 and 1/26.
We start our journey on San Cristobal. We flew in from Quito, Ecuador.
San Cristobal has a lovely town with a nice harbor and a massive sea lion colony.
This is the sea lions’ beach. They own it! No people allowed.
They also own benches and patches of curb and boats along the wharf.
We were lucky enough to go when there were lots of sea lion pups. The babies stay where they are stashed until momma comes back.
They are adorable and vocal.
The first full day, we went diving at Kicker Rock. This is one of the top snorkeling and diving spots: if you come to San Cristobal and you’re up for water fun, you will go here.
There is an amazing canyon between the two rocks.
We were lucky enough to see hammerheads and a huge school of fish.
We glimpsed our
We glimpsed our first marine iguanas that day, but we got much better sightings the next day, at Floreana.
Each island has its own marine iguanas, with distinctive coloration. The Floreana marine iguanas had wonderful shadings of red and green, especially the males.
On Floreana, we went up to the highlands and got to see our first tortoises!
These are relatively young (30 years or so), and as soon as the rat population is eradicated, they will be fully released into the wild. They are currently walled into a protected area in the highlands.
From the highlands, the volcanic heritage of the islands is clearly visible.
The Galapagos have been formed over millions of years by a hot spot. Each island is usually made up of multiple volcanoes. The oldest of the Galapagos are actually gone — they are on a tectonic conveyor belt.
Then it was on to Isabela. We went kayaking, and got to see lots of fun things around the harbor, most notably the Galapagos penguins.
These are the only penguins you can see in the northern hemisphere (just barely!).
Note that puffins are not penguins 😉
The next day, we went for a hike on one of Isabela’s several volcanoes.
It sprinkled on us for the first half, which was actually quite welcome — it was blistering hot when the sun came out!
This is a very active volcano, that erupted in 2005 and 2018.
The next day, we went snorkeling en route to Los Tuneles. That was one of the trip highlights!
Our guide helped us see reef sharks dozing in their cozy caves.
There were also lots and lots of beautiful turtles!
And many beautiful little fish!
And sea horses!
Such a treat.
Los Tuneles itself was wonderful! You aren’t allowed to snorkel there right now, but we took a dingy through, and were able to walk around a little bit.
Layers of old lava have eroded away, leaving dozens of natural arches. The formations are studded with cacti, and it is prime nesting for boobies.
We closed out our time on Isabela by visiting the tortoise breeding center.
Rats are a threat to baby tortoises, so they raise tortoises here and then release them when they’re old enough to be safe. These guys are a few years old.
Finally, it was on to Santa Cruz, the most commercial of the islands.
There, the highlight was a tortoise reserve. This is private land that butts up against a national park. They allow wild tortoises to come and go.
The tortoises especially like the mud wallow.
And here we are with a couple of the tortoises. They were big, but there is some false perspective going on here 😉
All in all, a really wonderful trip! I would highly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance to go.
Sadly, it was about this time that a bit of food poisoning kicked in. It took out 10 or our 16 members, and the guides got a bit of it too. Fortunately we only missed a couple minor things — it basically turned one lost transit day into two.
Fortunately that discomfort is already receding in memory, leaving behind a truly lovely trip!
We got our first frost flowers of the year Thursday, 12/5.
Stick 1 has an elegant swirl frost off the end
Please note that the general frost flower commentary below is taken from this post from a couple years ago. All the photos are new.
Frost flowers (hair ice) form when there are sodden sticks that dip below freezing overnight. Around here, the sweet spot is ~28-31 F. It needs to be cold enough to produce frost, but not so cold as to freeze the stick solid.
The ice forms on the surface of the stick, and is extruded as it freezes to form “hair” which can take beautiful forms that look like silvery locks or silvery flowers.
Closeup of stick 2
There is a fungal association with Exidiopsis effusa. Around here, there is also a clear preference for alder twigs and branches. I’m not sure whether that’s what the fungus prefers, or whether the wood somehow favors frost flower formation.
Tiny burst frost “flower” growing out the end of a small stick. It is uncommon for such small sticks to have such a nice formation; it is likely because the bark prevented any from extruding out the sides.
Frost flower and hair ice are two terms used semi-interchangeably. As far as I can tell, the distinction is mostly based on the type of formation. If it’s a burst formation (e.g. from the end of a stick), it’s a frost flower. If it looks like hair growing out of the middle of a stick, it’s hair ice. Even though most of what we get is probably more hair ice than frost flowers, I like the latter term better ?
Stick 1 closeup of “wave” growing from the broken end of the stick.
Frost flowers and hair ice are relatively rare worldwide. They require specific conditions to “grow”. In climates with cold winters, you might be lucky enough to see a few in the autumns.
Stick 1 extreme closeup
Here in the Puget Sound area, the winters are mild and tend to only dip below freezing occasionally. We also have an abundance of alders. That gives us the ideal conditions for hair ice and frost flowers.
The moss is growing on the bark of this stick. The hair ice can only grow out where the bark is split.
To see them, go out on a cold morning and check any local alder groves. They tend to be more common at the edges of alder groves, where the sticks are a bit more exposed… but that depends on the temperature range. On a very cold morning (25-28F) there may be such formations deeper in the woods.
They are most common on mid-sized twigs and branches (~1/2-2″ diameter), but occasionally they grow on larger or smaller branches.
Ginkgos are wonderful and ancient trees that are unusual in a number of ways.
One of their unusual features is Ginko Drop “Day”: they drop their leaves in a very short period, a day or two or three, rather than over the course of weeks like most deciduous trees.
These pictures were taken November 9th, when the leaf drop began in earnest, and November 13th, when it was pretty much done. The tree lost 90% of its leaves in about 3 days.
I’ll call “leaf drop” day November 11th this year. It was similar in 2023.
Tracked over the years, it makes a good indicator of local weather patterns.
We’re lucky enough to live in a region that usually gets frost flowers (hair ice) several times each winter. This winter was weird, though — too warm, and then too cold, and then too warm — so I was starting to wonder whether we would get any really good frost formations.
We got a few, early, back in November, but we hadn’t had any truly good blooms.
Finally, on the morning of March 6th, we got a very good bloom! It was clear, and hit around 28F, which is perfect for “growing” frost flowers/hair ice.
Please note that the general frost flower commentary below is taken from this post from a couple years ago. All the photos are new.
Frost flowers (hair ice) form when there are sodden sticks that dip below freezing overnight. Around here, the sweet spot is ~28-31 F. It needs to be cold enough to produce frost, but not so cold as to freeze the stick solid.
The ice forms on the surface of the stick, and is extruded as it freezes to form “hair” which can take beautiful forms that look like silvery locks or silvery flowers.
There is a fungal association with Exidiopsis effusa. Around here, there is also a clear preference for alder twigs and branches. I’m not sure whether that’s what the fungus prefers, or whether the wood somehow favors frost flower formation.
Frost flower and hair ice are two terms used semi-interchangeably. As far as I can tell, the distinction is mostly based on the type of formation. If it’s a burst formation (e.g. from the end of a stick), it’s a frost flower. If it looks like hair growing out of the middle of a stick, it’s hair ice. Even though most of what we get is probably more hair ice than frost flowers, I like the latter term better 🙂
Frost flowers and hair ice are relatively rare worldwide. They require specific conditions to “grow”. In climates with cold winters, you might be lucky enough to see a few in the autumns.
Here in the Puget Sound area, the winters are mild and tend to only dip below freezing occasionally. We also have an abundance of alders. That gives us the ideal conditions for hair ice and frost flowers.
To see them, go out on a cold morning and check any local alder groves. They tend to be more common at the edges of alder groves, where the sticks are a bit more exposed… but that depends on the temperature range. On a very cold morning (25-28F) there may be such formations deeper in the woods.
They are most common on mid-sized twigs and branches (~1/2-2″ diameter), but occasionally they grow on larger or smaller branches.
It’s a good creek, year-round, but at this time of year it is made up of pools connected by a trickle of water. It’s a good time to put out the game cam, and see who’s around.
We knew we would see raccoons and coyotes; what we did not expect to see was a beaver!
T86
We knew that the creek had beavers — an old map of the creek marks a beaver dam farther upstream, and a couple years ago a beaver came up a seasonal offshoot in March and took out a few aspen seedlings and a bunch of ferns.
That was a thrill (once we got over the aspens), but the creek was running high, and beavers can come quite a ways when there is water.
There is not currently much water… the photo above is taken from the middle of the creek bed.
We’re not sure where the beavers are living, but it can’t be very far. We adjusted the position of the game cam the next night, and got a number of good shots of the beaver hauling salmonberries home for the winter.
T86
Yesterday, we discovered that the beaver had moved on to larger prey.
It took out not one, but two, 10-20 year old Big Leaf Maples.
They were nice trees, but in a somewhat awkward place, so we weren’t broken-hearted, but we’ll be doing a review of other trees close to the creek.
I might also don waders and go down the creek a bit, see whether I can find the den. Given how hard it’s foraging in our backyard, it can’t be coming that far!
We’re about halfway through the summer, so I can see what’s working well and what… not so much.
I think my attempt to keep the jungle of Ozette potatoes more balanced has been successful. I really like the signet marigolds tucked around the edge, along with feverfew and breadseed poppies.
I also planted cosmos in the middle. Those are just starting to bloom, and may not be tall enough — even though I’m trimming the potatoes this year!
Left to their own devices, Ozettes grow 6′ tall and tip over (at least for me).
So far, pruning the vines has been pretty effective, but I need to keep on it.
Rob’s garden is looking nice: borage and hollyhocks, with Larkspur just starting.
Next year, I may try some hollyhocks at the backs of my potato beds. They’re so colorful!
Normally, the deer eat them, but Rob got some blood-based spray that has been doing wonders at keeping the deer away.
Finally, my pots! Some of these are native trees and shrubs that we’re growing out for another year; others are flowers and herbs, some of which I may tuck around the garden.
I’ll be experimenting more with potted plants in the garden. It seems like a good way of keeping the color and balance through the season (quite a challenge, if you rely on in-ground plants!).
The bumblebees are enjoying the mid-summer garden, and I’m enjoying the bees! Here’s a lovely bumblebee on a hollyhock.
And here’s a bumblebee on toadflax.
And here’s a bumblebee on oregano. Can you see the flecks of pollen?
But the borage is king! It’s very peaceful sitting by the borage and watching the girls forage.
Borage can get looking a little odd later in the summer, but I always keep it going as long as possible. The bees love it so, and the little birds eat the seeds.
The garden is burgeoning with the start of summer.
I spent a couple hours yesterday adding a bunch of stakes to the garden, so that things don’t all flop over in the next few weeks. For a little while it will look a little goofy, until the garden grows into it.
This year I’m going to try keeping the potatoes trimmed a bit shorter, to try to keep them more compatible with the flowers. We grow Makah Ozette potatoes, which are yummy and grow into a glorious jungle… but left to their own devices, that glorious jungle grows 4′ tall and tips over.
Potatoes with feverfew and signet marigolds
The late-spring flowers are still going. Some of the foxgloves are getting rather gawky, but this little cluster is still lovely.
Pink foxgloves above feverfew, with a backdrop of hardy fuchsias. The other pink spikes are toadflax.
The valerian has been blooming for a couple weeks now. This one is taller than I am, and smells very sweet. The pollinators love it!
I was trying to catch this Tiger Swallowtail, and only noticed the solitary bee after the fact.
Tiger Swallowtail and solitary bee on Valerian
The first breadseed poppy opened yesterday. I’m looking forward to the flush of early-summer color!
We’re easing from early spring into mid spring here.
The first Pacific Trilliums opened about a week ago. Over the next month or two they’ll go from pristine white to a gentle, dusky pink, as the blossoms age.
Pacific Trillium in the woods. The pristine white shows that it opened recently.
If you ever see a trillium of any sort in the woods, please do not pick it. It’s a bulb, and those three pretty leaves providing a backdrop for the flower are the only leaves it will ever get.
If you pick it, it will either die, or — best case! — grow a tiny little set of leaves next year. There won’t be a flower for several years. Common wisdom says seven years, but I’m not going to do a test on this one.
Our earliest rhodie just opened. The next two months will be a glorious march of rhododendrons here. We have a native rhodie, and it has been hybridized with a number of Asian varieties to give a glorious range of rhodies that thrive in our climate.
We got a delivery of soil (manure and sand), and have been topping off the garden beds. I’ll be direct-seeding poppies and some other things in the next few days.
I also have way too many seedlings under grow lights right now. Figuring out when to plant them out is always a challenge!
I love this time of spring: more and more flowers blooming; more and more birds singing. The spring chorus has definitely started here, with the Pacific Wren the most melodious virtuoso. There are still a few types of birds we’re waiting on.
I try to get out for a morning walk with Merlin to see who’s in town.
The wood ducks arrived a couple weeks ago. They’re definitely our showiest migrant.
Blurry iPhone picture of two male and two female wood ducks
Based on last year’s bird list, we’re still expecting Pacific Slope Flycatchers, warblers of many types, and Western Tanagers.
Because I’m very reliant on song for the flycatchers and warblers, it’s possible that they’re already here, and just haven’t started singing yet. The Pacific Wrens live here year-round, but they barely sing in the winter.
Either way, I’m looking forward to the burgeoning chorus!
