This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. …Psalm 118:23 (NKJ)
Several years ago, on a cold autumn morning, I was walking through a field on my farm when I spotted something white on the ground. I knew it hadn’t snowed or sleeted. The sky above me was clear. I wondered if it could be litter – a tissue dropped, a piece of paper blown in by the wind. Of course, I had to go investigate and was surprised and amazed to see beautiful ribbons of ice around the stems of some weeds. I had noticed the new weed in the summer. It grew tall in the fencerows beside the hayfield. The bloom was not showy, but the little bugs seemed drawn to it. At the time I didn’t try to find a name for it. It looked just like another pesky weed with seeds brought in by birds or on the wind. I had no idea that later it would gift me with beauty that seems almost magical.
The plant is white crownbeard, also sometimes called wingstem. But the name I like best is frostweed because of the spectacular “frost flowers” that form around its stems in the fall, when a sudden overnight freeze happens. The freeze causes the stems to burst and release sap, which freezes into intricate ribbons or flowerlike shapes. To me, they seem like unique flowers to bring a little wonder after the freeze has ended the beauty of the summer flowers.
Since I discovered the first frost flowers years ago, I am still amazed when they “bloom” on those first cold nights and mornings come to end summer and warn of winter. I’ve taken many pictures of them. Some years they are more intricate. The plant needs to have had enough rain to keep their stems full of moisture to make their beauty. I’ve tried to “pick” one of the icy flowers now and again, but ice is very delicate and fragile. It almost feel like holding frozen air. Some beauty you have to see without trying to hold in your hand.
Sometimes the icy formations will be all the way up the stalk instead of just at the bottom of the stem. When that happens, the ice formations aren’t as fanciful. The ones on these stems are about a foot tall.
The beauty of nature cannot always be held in our hands but can be stored in our hearts and memories. In God’s world, everything, even weeds, can have beauty. And though, in this case, the weed is tough, the frost flowers it makes are a delicate marvel. People can be like that sometimes too. Tough on the outside but on the inside, the Lord’s beauty can be ready to flower.
The weed is prolific and can keep you busy pulling it out of your garden but I’m always glad we don’t get rid of them all because I love the beauty of the frost flowers.
“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” – Rachel Carson
Have you ever seen a frost flower?
Comments 14
Thanks for sharing about the frost flowers. I’ve never seen anything like this. We can always find something that God has designed to bring us joy.
Author
We do have a beautiful and unique world of nature, Pam. The frost flowers are fun to find. There are sometimes so many different shapes and designs on the weed stems. I love being surprised by the Lord’s beauty in nature.
Yes, I’ve seen some around our pond. I didn’t know what they were called before until I had read some things you wrote about them. Thanks for helping me learn some new things!
Author
I can thank Google for helping me find out about things, Connie. It’s amazing the information you can find by asking this or that question online. Sometimes it takes rephrasing a few times or exploring a little more, but most of the time you can come up with some new information. It’s fun sharing that here and on my Facebook page.
Thank you for sharing your interesting story and beautiful photographs of the frost flower (weed). I’d never before seen or heard about such an interesting plant! I also liked your application to people!
Author
So glad you enjoyed the post, Roberta. The frost flowers are unique, but then so is every person we meet. And most are beautiful in some way
I have never seen them, but they are amazing. It never ceases to amaze me at all of the beautiful things God has created for us to enjoy. My husband had taken a picture of one of our sunflowers and when he zoomed the image in on his cell phone the inside looked like a bunch of little yellow flowers, and you would have thought it was a field of flowers if you didn’t know what the photo actually was. Thanks for sharing your photos! I saw a mushroom after one of our frosty nights covered in ice but didn’t have a camera to capture it. I should have went back outside and took a photo but went on to do other things and forgot. The ice made the mushroom look pretty though.
Author
Sometimes the best pictures are those we take to remember in our minds, Hope. Before we had such handy cameras where we could take dozens or maybe hundreds of pictures with ease, I took a lot of pictures like that. Just some bit of beauty I could remember. When I was a young teen, I read a story about a soldier who was in captivity for a long time and how he brought up pictures in his mind to keep his sanity. Being an impressionable youngster, I started thinking about the pictures I might take to remember.
Frost can turn something ordinary into something beautiful.
Not ever!!! I am thankful to have gotten to see them through your observant eyes through your morning walks!!!!
Author
Glad you enjoyed seeing the frost flowers through my camera lens, Cindy. I enjoy taking pictures to share with my FB friends and here on my blog posts.
No I have not but they look amazing. Such a blessing that you have gotten to see them. God blesses us with such beauty if we just open our eyes! Thank you for sharing this blessing with your readers.
Author
You are right. There is always beauty to see in the natural world, Pamela. I love that I can now take digital photos without worrying about the cost of film and developing. Glad you enjoyed seeing my frost flowers.
No, I never have, but in my minds eye I was walking with you when you discovered this amazing gift!
Author
Glad you were out there “with” me, Bonnie, admiring all the frost flowers a few days ago. Since then, the weather warmed up. We’ll have to wait and see if we have more when the temperature drops again.