It was a cold but beautiful morning in East Texas. After taking photos of Gene Edward harvesting Satsumas he asked me if I had ever seen Ice Flowers? I found out later that they are also called Frost Flowers. I had never even heard of them before. Gene set down the box of delicious orange delight and led me down a little trail. If I had been on my own I would have missed them completely. At first it looked like styrofoam or trash caught in the weeds. I was so wrong.
On closer inspection what I discovered took my breath away. The ice formations that made the Ice Flowers were beautiful!
The light was great. My toes were cold but I didn’t care. I was so delighted to be introduced to these delicate treasures.
This one looked like a feather. We lived in East Texas for nearly 10 years and I had never seen these.
From a little Wikipedia article, “The petals of frost flowers are very delicate and will break when touched. They usually melt when exposed to sunlight and are usually visible in the early morning or in shaded areas.”
According to the National Weather Service, “Frost flowers are thin layers (perhaps credit card thickness) of ice that are extruded through slits from the stems of white or yellow wingstem plants, among others.”
It was such a blessing to discover that what I thought at first was trash was in reality beautiful, fragile treasures that would soon be gone.
All around us are “treasures” that are here only for a short time. I want to challenge you (us) to take the time look past what we first think is “trash” and see the treasure. They vanish too quickly. Savor the moment.
“…yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14
’til next time,
Nathalie
Leave a Reply