Metamorphosed Dendritic Pond-Ice Blades Over Fall Debris

After colorful New England fall foliage has gone, many colorful leaves and other debris are preserved in our woodland ponds. By mid November much colorful debris stays preserved and becomes enriched by the blue and silvery tones of overlying, thin, pond ice, through which the debris is often visible. This is especially true when with climate change, the ice recrystallizes, sublimates and partially melts, generally known as metamorphosing. In this image the dominant features are recrystallized ice blades and inter-blade box-like mosaics that once formed the star-like formations commonly seen on ponds right after they first freeze. The imaged area was less than 30 cm wide.