A miracle of nature

Branches encased in hoarfrost on January 24, 2014 in Bend, OR

Once in a while I experience a stunning miracle that only God and nature can provide. This happened on Friday January 24 here in Bend, Oregon where all the trees became frosted overnight with spectacular results. Every tree, every branch and literally every twig was encased in hoarfrost, something that I experienced once before, in Baker City on January 15, 2009. On that occasion I was going around every corner, every street and at every possible view to get as many good photos as possible. This time I stayed in just one place, actually in the parking lot of our parish center. I took these photos at different times of the early morning, at 7 AM, when it was still dark, then at 8 AM and when the sky turned blue at around 9 AM. 

Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from humid air. It is formed when the temperature of a solid surface is below the freezing point of water and also below the frost point. The size of frost crystals varies depending on the time they have been building up and the amount of water vapor available. Frost crystals are translucent, but scatter light in many directions, so that a coating of frost appears white. There are many types of frost, such as radiation and window frost. Hoar frost (also called radiation frost) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat is lost into the open sky causing objects to become colder than the surrounding air.

Enjoy these close ups of a morning that was unique, memorable and truly spell-binding, a miracle that only God and nature can provide.

Heavily frosted branches with the moon in the background