Crystal Ice Prisms

Icy Shards

Winter Ice Storm © 2008 Bo Mackison

I discovered Ken Libbrecht’s book called Field Guide to Snowflakes, a book, yes, all about snow. There is much going on in this frozen world that we are mostly unaware of, and it’s darn fascinating stuff! The book has photos of snowflakes produced under all sorts of weather conditions, including different temperatures and amounts of humidity. It’s a great book that both pleases the eye and expands your knowledge of the natural world at the same time.

Libbrecht suggests getting a black cloth (though a piece of black paper could easily substitute) and placing it on a surface to catch snowflakes. Then one can study them with a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe. (Or maybe a macro lens…hmmm.)

The crystals in the photo, as best as I can identify by reading and comparing, are columns or prisms and were probably formed in temperatures ranging from 18˚F to 27˚F. The geometric shape we think of as the typical snowflake, the thin and flat, six-sided crystal,  develops when the weather is a bit warmer – in the 27˚F to 32˚F range – or when it’s colder – from -8˚F to 18˚F. The temps between -5˚F and 10˚F produce the fanciest, most delicate of the hexagonal flakes.

I recently read a BBC article about an early photographer, Wilson A. Bentley. Ten of his pioneering photographs of snowflake crystals – he was the first to photograph snowflakes, and did so over a century ago – were sold in a recent NYC auction. According to the article, Bentley took photographs of snowflakes because he wanted to share their beauty with everyone.

Bentley was quoted as saying, “Every crystal is a masterpiece of design, and no one design is ever repeated. When a snowflake melts, that design is forever lost.” True wabi-sabi, those snowflakes!

 

Moth Orchids

Looks like Flurry of Purple Moths

Looks like Flurry of Purple Moths © 2008 Bo Mackison

Another visit to my stash of photographs from the Olbrich Botanical Garden.

There’s something about this row of orchid flowers that makes me feel like I’m in a flurry of purple moths.

Holding Hands – A Self-Portrait

Holding Hands with Nature

Holding Hands with Nature

On the most basic of levels, this is a photograph of overlapping leaves that I took using a Lensbaby Composer. But when I saw the photograph, it seemed to be much more than a few leaves, it seemed to be another one of those self-portraits I occasionally take that aren’t an actual self-portrait, but a metaphorical portrait of self.

I look at this and see a photograph of holding hands. And I make the connection. I hold hands with nature when I am out in nature, sometimes taking photographs, sometimes hiking or camping, in lots of ways, in close relationship with the natural world.

Orchids in Pink and White

Phae

Phalaenopsis Orchid – the Moth Orchid

This Wisconsin winter hasn’t been all that bad. Really. Even though we’ve had a fair amount of snow and a week or so of frigid weather, we are halfway through January and the days are growing noticeably longer. Today the temps climbed into the 30s. Even so, I was in the mood for a place warmer than 30˚, so I visited the warmest, greenest place I easily drive to  – the Bolz Conservatory in Madison’s Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Ahhh! Tropical mist, lots of green plants, birds chirping in the background, a tiny waterfall trickling down a stone outcropping, orange and white koi swimming in the meandering water and . . . dozens of orchids. Nearly paradise!

I sat quietly on an out-of-the-way bench for the first half hour and let the misty atmosphere seep into my body, mind, and soul. Then I got out my camera gear and took photos for an hour – the first photos I’ve taken in a week.

I shoot almost every day, so a week away from the camera is unusual for me. All that greenery and warmth got me going again. A good thing.

Twist and Shout – Happy New Year 2010

Steffens in Jefferson County

Dancing Orchard

It’s not too many photos of orchards that make me feel that the trees are all having a good time – spinnin’ a few tunes, let’s all twist and shout. Celebrate a new decade.

Happy 2010! Happy New Year!