It was spiky frosty this morning – a form of hoarfrost. A mild case, by full-blown winter standards, but still amazing. My photographer was not well organized this morning, so we did not get photos.
I call it spiky frost because this hoarfrost sticks out from the sides of everything it forms on. So (a) a blade of grass is stiff with icy cool frost, and (b) there are little spikelets all over it going every which way, mostly in right angles. The result: it feels very funny under the paw…little frozen spikys coming through the fur and in between the pads create quite a fascinating momentary sensation. That is until your next pawstep.
Leaves, trees, boulders, sticks, our bench, and bits of dross in the brook all had spiky frost this morning. It was a wonderland of glittery, spiky, tickly fun.
It was super humid (over 100%) and clear last night I guess, and the surface temperature of the grass and the bench must have gone well below 32 degrees. What is dew in the summer, becomes hoarfrost in the winter. My research indicates that hoarfrost can sometimes look like this morning’s spikes, or like ferns, or raised scales, or even little cups. But I wouldn’t mistake hoarfrost for rime!
While I enjoyed my frosty outing, though my paws got a bit chilly, it made me wonder at the difference a few days can make.
Just this weekend, we were frolicking with temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s. Boy, did I have fun playing in the leaves.
My people have not chewed up the leaves with the stinky growling grass eater machine like other folks. Thank goodness! A cat's gotta frolic!
