The first major blast of wintry weather in the U.S. this week brought snow, frigid temperatures, and in some places, a little something magical: frost flowers.
These enchanting features are made of thin ribbons of ice that extend outward in intricate patterns when frozen water bursts through the slits of specific plant stems. So delicate are they that they can disintegrate with a single touch and often appear only for a few hours at a time.
Frost flowers are most prevalent in the Eastern half of the U.S., particularly in regions where hard freezes are more common, and they resemble fluffy clouds of cotton candy or exquisite spun glass.
For many, witnessing these frost flowers marks the true arrival of winter, compelling people to rise early and capture the fleeting beauty before the day’s sunlight melts them away. On Monday and Tuesday, social media was alive with pictures from Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and beyond, showcasing undisturbed fields and backyards adorned with these charming pieces of nature.
Alan Templeton, a professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, describes the experience of seeing frost flowers as a unique blend of rarity and beauty. 'You have to be at the right time, at the right place,' he explains. 'They show up briefly, and it’s this highly variable beauty that fascinates me.'
These ethereal ice patterns are found mostly near the base of certain plants, like white and yellow wingstem, but the ideal conditions for their formation must prevail. Once they appear, they won’t typically return until the next freezing season, making each sighting a brief window into nature's art.
The ground must be warm enough to allow water to rise from the plant roots while the air remains cold enough to freeze the water, resulting in these beautiful flowers. Their presence is limited to specific plants that can retain enough water and are fragile enough to let the ice break through.
Having first encountered frost flowers decades ago during fieldwork, Templeton recalls their beauty. 'Each one is unique; there’s no two frost flowers that are the same,' he notes. When he searched for them this week in a conservation area in St. Louis County, he found significantly fewer than in previous years, likely due to a milder beginning to winter.
Meanwhile, residents like Crystal Legens, who only discovered frost flowers recently, share how such wonders often go unnoticed in daily life. 'People can live their whole lives here and never realize they exist because they aren’t in the right place at the right time,' she shared.
