Pond Ice

When the cold weather finally moved on, I took a quick look at the pond which was frozen over. My hope was to see some of the fish beneath the ice...

...but as I got closer I realized that would probably not be possible.

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The ice was so thick -- at least 6" (15cm) and could have been several inches more. It looks like it was in turmoil when freezing, with areas somewhat clear and the edges cloudy... as if a hurricane had been captured in the ice, or a ship-swallowing vortex had been frozen. (Seen best in the wide view of the first image)

The bubbles and ripples and cloud banks made it impossible to see through to the water, but just because I couldn't see the fish didn't mean that there was nothing to look at. A clear ice layer had formed above the milky patches, encapsulating some of the remaining anacharis, an impermanent Lucite paperweight for the pond.

The patterns and textures are just what my wintering eyes needed -- find beauty everywhere around you!

It looks to me that as the pond froze water was pushed out through a crack, freezing as it flowed. I think it's the only explanation for the bumpy surface:

The weather has really warmed up now and we had a decent rain, so maybe this will be melted enough that I'll be able to check on the fish soon?


Growing up near Chicago there was a pond at the park that we would skate on (and play hockey of course) every winter. One thing I learned is that smooth, skate-friendly ice is not as common as you might think -- bumps and ripples and waves can really ruin your pond-based fun!

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