Tyler LundNov 21, 2022
Paul Knightly

I went hiking in the Ozarks on Saturday morning and stumbled on a small patch of frost flowers!

This is the first time I've seen them, and I was surprised to see them this late in the year. Frost flowers typically form during the first few hard freezes of fall when sap in certain small plants freezes, rupturing the stem and forcing water out. The water freezes on contact with the air and builds up into distinctive flower-shaped petals!

#Photography #Arkansas #Weather #MacroPhotography #arwx

Nov 21, 2022 at 12:49pmWeb
Show threadDan Vera ✅Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly
Absolutely fascinating and gorgeous!
Show threadTheStrawberryOverkill Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Wow, really fascinating!
Show threadTom MontgomeryNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly
Amazing. I've never heard of frost flowers before. We don't seem to get those where I live (much further north!)
Show threadJokkeNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly @TQ amazing! I’ve never seen (even images of) frost flowers!
Show threadFrankNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly wow, that's so cool 😎 I never heard of these before
Show threadRevNancyFitzNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Lovely. I’ve never seen frost flowers. Thanks!
Show threadSusieHeNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Beautiful! I haven’t seen them in real life so I am living vicariously through photographs such as yours. Thank you for sharing!
Show threadStephanie OusleyNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I had never heard of this phenomenon. Pics are beautiful—thanks for sharing.
Show threadEve NebulaNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly oh thats lovely! ty for posting
Show threadSolar Man 2022Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly never seen anything like this. Thanks for sharing!
Show threadShari EmersonNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I've never seen them!!! thanks for posting!!! I LOVE THESE!
Show threadJofish5000Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly that is so amazing! Thanks for sharing!!
Show threadMira KamdarNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I have never seen this before. Thank you.
Show threadRunningResisterNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly
So cool! I’ve never seen one before.
Show threadsimplyclockwork Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly that’s so cool!! Thanks for sharing
Show threadTushar ChauhanNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly They look like dessert roses. Gorgeous!
Show threadJ.Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I had been wondering what it was called. Saw it for the first time last Friday in north Alabama.
Show threadJessTheGeologistDec 17, 2022
@jaypdub @paulknightly I have heard it called 'Horefrost.' Here are some examples from middle TN. I usually only see it in the early parts of the cold season.
Show threadFerrousNov 1, 2023
@DrRocktagon @jaypdub @paulknightly I think you must mean hoarfrost? That can also be spectacular, but it's not quite the same thing!
Show threadTara L. CampbellNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Oh wow, I've never seen this before. Amazing!
Show threadBen Montour Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Whoa! I have never before seen or even heard of frost flowers. That's amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Show threadTeegNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Those are lovely!
Show threadRuth MottramNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly that's so cool! In Danish it is called "Nisseskæg" elfbeard.
It's my understanding that it requires fungus to form. I've only once seen it in the wild and not as good as these! Lucky you!
Show threadH WalshNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Very cool.
Show threadMarkNReprisalNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly wow, TIL a thing. Thanks for posting
Show threadJohn HaydenNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly i had no idea that this existed!
Show threadWest Coast BirderNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Wow, I had never heard of frost flowers before! Thanks for sharing!
Show threadWest Coast BirderNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly if you are on the Canon EF ecosystem, their 100/2.8 L macro lens is a gem. It is also a fantastic portrait lens. And since all attention is on their RF ecosystem, it should be relatively inexpensive on the used market.
Show threadEVCinNYCNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly those are fascinating - never seen that before!
Show threadM BeattieNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly These are fantastic! Thanks.
Show threadRuhi (she/her)Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly beautiful!
Show threadvga256Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly incredible. i've never seen these in northern canada. are they typical of the ozarks?
Show threadJackalLanternNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I’ve heard that called #HairIce and it’s supposed to be associated with the fungus #ExidiopsisEffusa
Show threadChristian SchwägerlNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly @OceanTerra isn‘t a funghi species involved in the process? at least in Europe that‘s the case, and it‘s the fungus‘ breath.
Show threadKimbone1998Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly beautiful 🌺
Show threadJohn FrancisNov 21, 2022

@paulknightly neat! What kinds of plants produce these?

Here in Ontario, we get a different type of frost flower, formed as very thin ices thickens under very cold
and still conditions

Show threadirne jaweNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly these are beautiful
Show threadMUST DIE!Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly wow
Show threadSherylbooksNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly have never even heard of this before, but these are gorgeous.
Show threadNicomoNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Thanks - that's just amazing.
Show threadAnn HeidemanNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I am a huge fan of frost formations. So magical. I enjoy when they push up tiny rocks tiny geologic forces illustrate big ones.
Show threadIngeNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Blimey! These look amazing - thank you for explaining why they form and for the lovely photos!
Show threadSudoNaaameNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I've heard of hoar frost, but never frost flowers. Neat. Thank you for the pics.
Show threadEdgeNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Very cool, never heard of them, nor seen them, clearly. Great photographs.
Show threadIvorNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I've seen this occur in fresh lime mortar when I've built with it before an unexpected frost. The water in the mortar is frozen and squeezed out like this, then it all has to be done again as the mortar has failed.
Show threadLaurie BrunoNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I’ve never seen these other than on photos.
Show threadSally MonsterNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly these are beautiful! Thank you for sharing.
Show threadIzuLinaNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly they are amazing.
Show threadMizzBassieNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly That's amazing and beautiful. Thank you for posting.
Show threadHannah Alpert-AbramsNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly I saw some walking yesterday too. So beautiful.
Show threadBelísa | Writing ChingonaNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Wow, amazing.
Show threadKikiTheHamsterNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly
Show threadpocket full of hawthornes 💦Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly oh thank god. i thought that was plastic litter at first. /phew.
Show threadpronty wexNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly i’ve only read about them and those are exceptional examples. thanks for sharing!
Show threadJo ✈️ ⚡️Nov 21, 2022
@paulknightly At our old house in Central Texas, we had tons of frostweed in our yard and would get these flowers each year. They were fascinating to see. I think we had the only local crop of it though; most people didn’t know about it.
Show threadTony TranNov 21, 2022

@paulknightly wow, never heard or seen these before. Though I havent been to enough snow areas in Australia to see it in the wild.

Thanks for sharing these amazing shots.

Show threadMariacAMNov 21, 2022
@paulknightly Amazing!
Show threadCat SittingstillNov 22, 2022
@paulknightly I love frost flowers; they are so pretty! They look almost like shavings from woodworking, but made of ice.
Show threadshannaNov 22, 2022
@paulknightly I love them! Thanks for sharing.
Show threadNancyMDNov 22, 2022
@paulknightly so cool! Never heard of these before!