Ok, I know I just posted a bunch of ice storm photos last week, but as it happens, I took more than 1500 shots that morning (!!) and I didn’t post all the ones I liked last time. So, with apologies for the semi-redundancy, here are a few more close-ups of ice-coated prairie from that magical day. You’ll notice that Indiangrass got a lot of attention from my camera. That was partly because it still had interesting fuzzy seeds, and partly because its golden brown color was pretty irresistible when under a sparkly clear coating.
Also, you’ll notice that I stayed low and shot upward at the sky quite a bit. As the morning wore on, everything got brighter and more sparkly. That was great, except that it was hard to find backgrounds for close up photos that weren’t full of distracting flashes of light. By getting close to the ground I could use the clear blue sky as background and really highlight the sparkle of my subject without the extra sparkles of everything else around it.
I know ice storms can be dangerous and can lead to hazardous driving and long hours for power company employees and sand truck drivers. It seems selfish to wish for ice storms just because they also make great photo opportunities. And yet…
(Finally, just one last reminder to please take a few minutes to fill out the quick survey for readers of this blog. I’ll close the survey Monday morning, so this weekend is your last chance. Please click HERE to take the survey!)
The Prairie Ecologist 
Just fabulous. And there’s nothing selfish about sharing beauty — ever.
the photos are unique to say the least and quite beautiful in your technique.
I live in Minnesota and once travelled early am along the north shore of Lake Superior and the storms had left 6-12″ thick absolutely clear layers of ice on the rocky ledges along the shore and of course any docks and poles. In the morning sun? Stunning.
Just gorgeous, those photos. I especially like the first three.
Absolutely stunning and thank you for posting. Sometimes we get in a rut and look for beauty in the big landscape. But I find that the minute details in nature are often more amazing and awe-inspiring.
To Chris , I think the survey isn’t needed .You should just continue to share your experiences of life of the prairies in words and pictures and let those of us who wish to share and enjoy . We are learning from same .I am in the country area of central Victoria ,Australia .If you would like to see our bush environment look up Friends of The Ironbark Forests. Greg jacobs
What an outstanding set of photos, this would make a great gallery. Thanks for sharing this frequently ignored view.
I share your enthusiasm for ice storm wonderlands. It happens so rarely I stop and appreciate it, too.
Wonderful. Thank you for spotting these little miracles. Noel
I took photos, too! Your’s were close ups, mine were long shots. The trees were beautiful, despite all the damage they did. I was out of power for nearly 5 hours, but since I don’t use much every thing was cool, pun intended.
I love the “camera obscura” type effects, especially in the small droplet in the first photo!
Your shots are amazing! Feel free to post them all :)
Your clos-ups are always great, but these photos are awesome!!
Cool!