Frosty forms

  

 Frost in Massachusetts on 14 December 2024

Frosty funnels

  

Frost is rare on Bodega Head, and it feels even more so now than when I first started working here 18 years ago.

But the air temperature reached 32.6°F (0.3°C) this morning (31 January 2023) and there were pockets of frost in low-lying areas.

Frost art?

 

 

It was chilly here this morning — solid ice in the bird bath.  Santa Rosa set a cold temperature record for the date (24 February 2022) of 26°F (-3°C).

 

When I walked out to the car to go to work, I noticed this unusual frost pattern of dots surrounded by circles.  

 

Here's a closer view:

 

 

 

Interesting to see that both components, the center and the rim, were made up of clusters of rectangular crystals.  

 

Here's another even closer view:

 

 

 

Fun!

 

Driveway moment?

 

 

Frost pattern on our car yesterday (14 December 2020).  

[You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Forest of frost

  

The last couple of mornings have been a little chilly.  This is a small section of a tiny frost forest in Cotati, 21 November 2020.

Frost and flakes

 

This morning we woke up to a local air temperature of ~13°F (-10.5°C) in Massachusetts.  When we stepped outside, Eric noticed these beautiful frost crystals on the windshield of the car.

Looking more closely, the patterns and details were spectacular.  Want to see?

 

 

 

Happy Winter Solstice!

Silvery

Mornings have been a bit chilly lately.  On 21 January 2019, there were some beautiful frost patterns on our car:

 

Underwater scene

 

I couldn't walk by this frost pattern without taking a few pictures.  

The frost had formed on the inside of a large glass fishing float.  The patterns reminded me of an underwater scene with kelp fronds waving in an aquamarine sea.  Two more close-ups:

 

 

Photographed in Humarock, MA, on 26 December 2018.  

Frost before the storm

 

Sensors on Bodega Head recorded air temperatures of ~34°F (1°C) this morning, resulting in frost patches in low-lying areas.  This was one of my favorite views — a close-up of frost crystals on moss, reminiscent of tiny snowflakes.

Stay safe during the storm this weekend!

The beauty of winter

I wandered around the yard early this morning and just couldn't help taking pictures of the frost and ice.  (I sure do miss cold winters!)

I had trouble deciding which photo to share, so I'm offering a broad selection (below).  Pick your favorite!


Frost feathers 1:

 

 Frost feathers 2:

 

Ice ridges:

 

Ice ridges (up-close with bubbles and light):

 

White Pine:

 

Half-and-half:

 

Crystal connections

Brrrr!  It was a chilly 30°F in Cotati this morning — a brisk morning in this part of the world.  Here are some frost crystals that were on my car in the front yard:

 

When we were looking at the frost this morning, we were struck by the similarities to something quite different:

 

Although they resemble sparkling frost crystals, these are the calcareous spines of a Glass-spined Brittle Star (Ophiothrix spiculata). You might recall an earlier post (from 9 November 2014) when I described how these brittle stars feed — by wiping their spines with their tubefeet to pick up small organic particles stuck on the sharp points and then transferring the particles to their mouth (on the underside of the central disc).

Recently, Eric captured some footage of this behavior.  First, here's another still image.  If you look carefully, you can see a long flexible tubefoot being drawn along one of the spines:

 

And, for an outstanding view of this feeding behavior in action, here's a video clip.  There are some general views of the brittle star crawling, and then watch for the feeding behavior between ~16-40 seconds. [If you can't see the video in the e-mail, click on the title of this post to go to the web page.]

Glass-spined Brittle Star from Jackie Sones on Vimeo.

Pretty amazing!  

Thanks to Eric for sharing these photos and the video clip.

P.S.  Stay warm, everyone!
 

Winter's coming

 

I didn't get a chance to post this wintery scene.  What do you see in the frost patterns above?  

My first thought was that it looked like a winter landscape — with a tree and shrubs, and stars, and birds.

This picture was taken of our windshield in Cotati on 29 November 2015.

Frosty

 

Brrrr!  The air temperature reached near 30°F this morning in Cotati.  It was fun to see these "frosty evergreen trees" on our windshield.  Do you see them?  (Or something different?)

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Stay warm!

Shiver me thrushes

It was 25°F when I drove to work along Coleman Valley Road this morning.  I stopped briefly for a few frost photos.

On a wooden fence post:

 

On oak leaves:

 

 

I wasn't the only one surveying (and puffed up in) the chilly morning scene:

 

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius).  This species often blends in with its surroundings, but in this light it was notable how the oranges and blues stood out against the grays and greens.

 

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus).  It landed in a tree right above me and peered down with its large eye.  A magical view!

Jack

I know some people will think I'm crazy, but I'm always excited when there's a chance of seeing frost here.  It's not as common on the coast, but here are a few pictures from several fence posts between Sebastopol and Bodega Bay.

The frost crystals were very long, making these lichens look like miniature trees!

 

The next photo shows a variety of crystals that formed on a small clump of moss.

 

And one more, showing sparkling crystals on a crustose lichen.

 

All of these images were taken in a field next to a stream in a low-lying valley on 19 December 2012.

I think the last time we had snow was in 2005.  I still dream about sledding and snowball fights, but for now I'll thank Jack Frost for providing wonderful views of winter wonderlands.  (Now if only I could shrink down to walk among the tiny crystalline trees!)

Early morning frost & midday sun

The weather has been quite variable this past week.  On Sunday, 8 April 2012, the early morning air temperature was cold enough to produce frost:

 

California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)

In contrast, on Monday, 9 April 2012, it was warmer (up to 65°F) and fairly still, producing good conditions for insects including this dragonfly that was basking in the midday sun:

 

 Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum)

Cardinal Meadowhawks are ~3-4 cm long, with a wing span of 5-6 cm.  The mature male is bright red, hence the common name.  The individual above is a female, based on the golden brown color and the broad abdomen.

Note the amber wash along the leading edges of the wings and at the bases of the wings (near the body). Importantly (for field identification), there are also dark brown/black streaks at the bases of the wings (see blue circle below).

Cardinal Meadowhawks have a broad latitudinal range (southern Canada to Argentina) and are found at a variety of wetlands, e.g., ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, and rivers.  They are one of the first dragonflies to appear in the spring, and are generally on the wing from March to October in this area.  I don't know if they breed on Bodega Head.  If not, perhaps this individual wandered over from Salmon Creek?