The artful finery of ice

Spring equinox occurs on March 20, and with its signal of change, our final opportunities to witness the many expressions and forms of ice will soon disappear. Many of us will cheer the seasonal progress this represents, as rising temperatures and increased hours of sunlight transform water from its solid state to its more fluid forms.

Ice has at least 15 known crystalline solid phases and appears in many forms in nature, including icicles, snowflakes, hail, rime, pancake ice, feather ice, frazil ice, black ice, slurry ice, crystals, cubes, glaciers, icebergs and more. Enjoy these images of winter’s fading examples of fine ice artwork.