Patterns in Nature: Winter Frost

I enjoyed a frosty morning at the farm recently... and took a few photos exploring the beauty in the frost and ice at different scales. Enjoy!

Frost covered paddocks

Leaf edged with frost

Foxglove leaf covered in frost

Ice crystals on grass 

Ice crystals on old grass stalks

Ice on a shady pond

A receeding water level leaving old ice high and dry, with fresh ice on current water level

Patterns in the ice

Patterns in the ice

Ice crystals along the edge of a larger ice crystal 

Isn't nature beautiful?! Definitely worth getting out of bed and braving the cold morning air for :)

Winter Wonderland

Winter is definately here. I am a little late in getting this up here, as the snow fell about a week and a half ago, but I hope you enjoy anyway :). It only snows occasionally in the city I currently call home so when it does it is always a little bit exciting. I love to go outside in it and watch the flakes fall and settle on my jacket. This time the flakes were big and it was like someone had ripped open a giant goose down duvet and emptied the contents over our world.

 I love the way it tranforms the world. It snowed all day, but the following morning dawned bright and clear and I found many gems of beauty when I went for a walk to explore my frozen world.

I don't know how many worms these blackbirds found that morning though...

Autumn's Palette: Why Leaves Change Their Colour

Trees and plants use pigments in their leaves to trap light energy, which they then use to produce sugars. The main pigment used by most plants to capture light energy is known as chlorophyll, and gives leaves their green colour. When deciduous trees are preparing for winter, they allow the chlorophyll in their leaves to break down into amino acids which the tree recycles and stores, ready to use in the growth of new leaves in the spring. As the chlorophyll breaks down, it allows other pigments present in the leaves to become visible.

The yellow and orange colours are the result of pigments known as carotenoids. Carotenoids are present in leaves all through the growing season, but their colour is usually masked by the green chlorophyll. 

The reds and purple colours are the result of pigments known as anthocyanins. These are not present in the leaves all year around, but are produced in the autumn as the plant is recycling its chlorophyll and allow the plant to capture light energy for a little bit longer.

                                                                  

Combinations of these pigments add further to the range of colours to be found in autumn leaves and produce autumn's palette.

In addition to vast array of colours (the only colours that are missing are the blues, but on a nice clear autumn day, the sky makes up for that), I love the array of patterns the different colours make on individual leaves - each one is uniquely different and rarely a single shade. Here are a few for you to enjoy :)

Autumn Leaves and Sunshine

Autumn is well and truly here and fast turning into winter. I love watching the seasons change. Each has something special to offer. Autumn offers her vast array of colours and the way the light shines through the coloured leaves on sunny afternoons always makes me marvel at the beauty. It is a dynamic season - the sight you witness today will often be gone tomorrow, as the leaves continue to change and fall. Recently I have taken several walks with my camera to enjoy the autumn leaves and sunshine. Here are some of my favourites... Enjoy!

Little Red Oak Leaf

 

Little red oak leaf

lying in the sun

Are you sad that your life is over?

All you have to look forward to

to be trampled beneath the feet of man

lost amongst the golden carpet

of leaves upon the ground?

Did you worry before you fell

of future's certain fate?

when Autumn's first chill

down your spine did run?

When you wake up on a frosty bed

do you mourn your home above?

Your life in the lofty heights

and the warm sunny skies?

Does life seem cruel and harsh?

Or are you happy

now all your work is done?

Most beautiful of leaves

are you happy to play your part?

although no eye may ever see

the climax of your beauty

in your dying breath?