Snow Fence

Beach and Lake Michigan Beyond

Beach and Lake Michigan Beyond

The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination.  ~Ward Elliot Hour

This quotation is so true. When I look out from my window, I mostly see my neighborhood dressed in winter’s white, and rather a worn white it is this far into the season. I find I turn inward and let my imagination soar.  I imagine beyond what I can see, and take myself on many pleasant trips as I write.

The Blue of the Moon

The hermit doesn’t sleep at night, in love with the blue of the vacant moon. The cool of the breeze that rustles the trees rustles him too. ~ Ching-An

I wonder if the hermit had insomnia. I spend too much of the night listening to the rustling trees. And I love the blue of the moon, too.


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.

Library Silhouette

The Place to be on a WInters Day

The Place to be on a Winter’s Day

When it is wet and blowing snow outside, one of the best possible places to take shelter?

The neighborhood library.