It pays to look at the ground when you're walking. You might find a shiny coin, or - as in this case - some interesting crystals. One icy day in mid-December I was walking through the woods here in upstate NY and I saw thick, icy crystals pushing up through the moss-covered soil. I was taken by the way they curled, and their seeming fragility - though they'd have to be pretty strong to push through the moss!
Turns out they are ice needles, or "needle ice" - something that naturally occurs when soil temperatures stay above freezing while air temperatures fall below 32 degrees F. Each needle is thin, but they stick together when they get into the frigid air.
What interesting things have you noticed this week?
Wow - tiny miracles of winter!
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