An uncommon beauty is hoar frost that forms when water vapor in the air undergoes sublimation by transforming directly from gas to solid ice crystals without passing through a liquid phase. The intricate feather patterns that form are amazing, but these fragile, often hair-like formations, are easily destroyed by wind and temperatures that are even slightly above freezing. The hoar frost covering bright dead top of a white pine here was totally gone an hour and a half later in bright sun as temperatures rose just two degrees above freezing. The same abrupt end happened to the hoar frost that was giving some bright beauty to the dead white pine holding the perched raven.
Warm faces include the deer that made me feel accepted as it looked at me calmly and nicely without fleeing. The red squirrel with the nice face did the same. It reminded me of the three squirrels here that leap on a shoulder or an open hand for food to gently take in summer when they are busy making food caches. They have never bit anyone. They are just confident and trusting that make people here feel like they are accepted and not scary.
A pair of warm faces are the two ravens who are touching bills because it’s January—the start of mating season.
For contrast, the standing red squirrel has its mouth open telling the other in no uncertain terms it doesn’t want competition no matter how much food is available.
Thank you for all you do!
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center