Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Monday, November 26, 2012

I never tire of seeing frost flowers blooming on a cold morning

I hope you don't either.
They're nature at its most magical.
If that's too fanciful for you, then they we can go with science and call it capillary action. 


All it takes is a warm winter day followed by a cold winter night. During the day, Verbesina virginica's roots draw water up into the stem and later that night freezing temperatures force the sap from the stems where they freeze into sculptural ice candy flower curls.


Capillary action is magical when it's this beautiful!
It will "bloom" ice crystal ribbons on and off all winter whenever the day warms up and the nights freeze.



I hope to never tire of seeing the marvelous and magical that nature has to show me.

xoxogail

More about Verbesina virginica read: 
Bees Don't Care If  Flower Is Beautiful
Have You Seen The Frost Flowers and 
An Almost Perfect Winter Flower

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.  -- Eden Phillpotts

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

28 comments:

  1. sooo beautiful! wonderful captured! :)

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  2. Who would ever tire of seeing magic? I love seeing this. I have tried to get these started in my garden. It hasn't happened yet. It will. I don't give up easily.

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  3. I never tire of looking at those either, dear Gail. Beautifully captured and full of garden magic.
    xoxoxo
    Frances

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  4. Yet another reason to plant this one. I hope they perform for the next bloom day. Just lovely, Gail.

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  5. That's oh so beautiful! I never knew how great capillary action can be. Why, it makes an artist out of a few drops of water!

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  6. What a magical sight. I have left some frost weed in my garden in the hope of such a show.

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  7. I've never seen this! Can understand why you'd love it.

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  8. I remember the last time you showed this. It is very cool (in both senses of the word).

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  9. Wow, Gail, these are exquisite. I don't think we get that happening here. Maybe it doesn't get cold enough quickly enough, or something. Thank you for sharing these gorgeous works of natural art.

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  10. These pictures are so amazing! I never knew frost could do this. Those swirls are almost as fascinating to look at as a flickering flame.

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  11. Oh, it's definitely magical, a miracle of the scientific type. Your pics with the sun behind them are magical too.~~Dee

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  12. Well, my heavens... I've never seen anything like this before in my life. That's why I love blogs! Always something new to see!

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  13. How magical...a new one for me...
    Balisha

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  14. Gorgeous! And you captured it all so perfectly!

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  15. I would love to see this bit of magic for myself.

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  16. I truly have never seen anything of the sort!!!..how curious.and unusual..there is so much of it...i wish you would have shown a picture form farther away....natures chihuly glass~~~

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  17. I have never seen that before. It is pure natural magic. I love it!

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  18. You've caught some creative images most of us have ever seen. So appreciating you sharing with such iconic pix.

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  19. Wow, these are absolutely wonderful!!! You can show these as many times as they bloom as far as I'm concerned. They are beautiful and each one unique.

    FlowerLady

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  20. I guess they should be posted in GBBD! I would like to see a wide angle shot of the landscapes, i bet there's a lot of these there. Now i wonder how these formed, why there are swirling textures like that. It's like another world, and yes for me it is another world. So thank you very much.

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  21. I'm always amazed when you show these flowers each winter, Gail--they look like magical ice sculptures!

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  22. I have never seen this happen over here in the piney woods of east Texas. It is almost magical.

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  23. Wow, I had never heard of such a thing. I hope I am lucky enough to see some myself, until then, thanks for sharing.

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  24. How wonderful, I've never seen them before - but then why would I?! It's going to be 83 here today with a low of 61!

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  25. The frost flowers are so extraordinary. Do you have any seed from this plant? I was wondering if we could make a trade.

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    1. I have seeds and will gladly send them to you. I think I still have your address in my email. xo

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson