WINTER MAGIC: FROST FLOWERS!
We opened our email inbox this morning to be greeted by these wonderful images from Dripping's Carla Cox. As Carla noted in her email, the first time she saw these a few years ago she thought shredded plastic bags had blown onto her property, but what fun to discover to find they were actually "frost flowers"!
Photo of a "frost flower" in Dripping Springs by Carla Cox.
Photo of a "frost flower" in Dripping Springs by Carla Cox.
As Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explains:
"Only a few species of plants are capable of producing these icy creations. The frostweed, Verbesinia virginica, which commonly occurs in Texas, is one of them. These waist- to shoulder-high plants grow in dense patches in the moist, shaded soil of river or creek bottoms and form heavy undergrowths in the shade of large trees. This plant also is known as Indian tobacco and tickweed because the dried leaves were once used by Indians as tobacco and people walking through the plants invariably gather a few seed ticks."
Photo of a "frost flower" in Dripping Springs by Carla Cox.
Photo of a "frost flower" in Dripping Springs by Carla Cox.
As Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explains:
"Looking like spun glass or cotton candy, these fragile creations, which are
really not flowers at all, last only until the warm rays of the morning sun melt
them away. Since their formation and disappearance cover such a short period of
time each year, few people have seen them or even know of their
existence.
"Frost flowers develop when air temperatures are freezing but the ground still is warm enough for the plant’s root system to be active. Plant juices flow from these roots up into the stem, where the cold air freezes them. As the moisture in the plant freezes, the ice crystals push out through the stem. They may emerge from a small slit to form thin ribbonlike strands or they may split open a whole section of the stem and push out in a thin, curling sheet. Sometimes several ribbons of ice push out to create a flowerlike petal effect. As long as the juices flow, air temperatures remain low, and the plant is shaded from the sun, these ice crystals continue to form.
"Frost flowers develop when air temperatures are freezing but the ground still is warm enough for the plant’s root system to be active. Plant juices flow from these roots up into the stem, where the cold air freezes them. As the moisture in the plant freezes, the ice crystals push out through the stem. They may emerge from a small slit to form thin ribbonlike strands or they may split open a whole section of the stem and push out in a thin, curling sheet. Sometimes several ribbons of ice push out to create a flowerlike petal effect. As long as the juices flow, air temperatures remain low, and the plant is shaded from the sun, these ice crystals continue to form.
"Only a few species of plants are capable of producing these icy creations. The frostweed, Verbesinia virginica, which commonly occurs in Texas, is one of them. These waist- to shoulder-high plants grow in dense patches in the moist, shaded soil of river or creek bottoms and form heavy undergrowths in the shade of large trees. This plant also is known as Indian tobacco and tickweed because the dried leaves were once used by Indians as tobacco and people walking through the plants invariably gather a few seed ticks."
Posted by DSBabble.com at Thursday, December 10, 2009 3:17 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: dripping springs frost flowers
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: dripping springs frost flowers
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