365 Days of Drabbles: Day Thirty-Six

[jeriendhal]

For drhoz: "Frost flowers"

Maria trudged along the ice field, still grumbling. "If I never see another penguin again…"

"Thank you, and duly noted," Tez agreed. "Now if we could just find that boat."

"Sure." She stopped though, as they came to an extraordinary sight. Ice crystals shaped like spiky flowers rose up from the field, like a winter garden. "What are they? They're beautiful."

"Frost flowers. They're created by condensation I think." He frowned, "There's something else about them too…"

Maria froze as the ice underneath her boot cracked, leaving a star pattern under her heel.

"They're also a sign of thin ice."

Comments

[drhoz.livejournal.com]

:D

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I have a picture of frost flowers here: http://mmjustus.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/34f-at-500-feet-64f-at-5400-feet/

But they're not on ice. They're on snow. And a rock.

[drhoz.livejournal.com]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_flower_(sea_ice)

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I should have said "the ones in my pictures" aren't on ice. I didn't mean to be claiming that frost flowers don't grow on ice, period. I've perused my Frank Hurley [g].

[drhoz.livejournal.com]

Frank Hurley? And ah

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

The photographer on the Shackleton expedition. He took some astounding photographs and video, esp. when you consider when they were taken and under what conditions. Also the fact that any of them made it back to civilization intact.