Frosty Wonderland

Jan 9, 2019

By Christian Begeman

Winter weather is not usually described in complimentary terms. Subzero temps, the threat of blizzards along with long nights and short days make it difficult to stay on the sunny side of life during a long, South Dakota winter. But there is a certain phenomenon that occurs during our cold months that defies negativity. You could even say that what happens is magical, or maybe miraculous. How else would you describe an event that has the power to turn a dreary, near colorless landscape into a whole new vision of white sparkling scenery? Granted, I may be a little more enthusiastic than most about frost because it is so fun to photograph. Even so, from the smallest ice-spiked detail to a vast winter white vista, frost has the ability to create an actual winter wonderland.

This year, we’ve had snowfall followed by warm spells. The snowmelt puts moisture in the air, and then freezing temps overnight bring fog. This is the perfect recipe for frost. For years, I called the frost from fog “hoarfrost,” but I’ve recently learned that what I shoot is more likely a type of rime frost or ice. Rime ice is similar to what sailors deal with on the sea in cold weather. It happens when super cooled water droplets freeze and attach to an exposed surface that is below freezing. The two kinds of rime are “hard rime” and “soft rime.” I would never have known the difference until this year’s frost quests in late November and late December.

On my way to visit family for Thanksgiving, I ran into thick fog in Edmunds and Walworth counties. There was a steady wind and plenty of moisture in the air, so I knew it would be optimal frost-making weather. On Thanksgiving morning, Dad and I drove out to see Jack Frost’s handiwork and were not disappointed. A thick, hard rime had formed on windward fence lines, trees and tall grass. A couple more frost events took place in southeastern South Dakota in December. One of those had frost designs that I don’t remember seeing before. Long, thick needles of ice formed on the corners of certain leaves and grasses and left tiny designs similar to jumping jacks hanging on the edges. It turns out this kind of frost is soft rime, and the leaves on which I found it — at Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon — couldn’t have been more beautiful.

I had the morning off during another frost event in late December, so I took a drive to see if I could find new scenes of beauty a little farther afield. In Lake County, the sun came out for a few minutes east of Ramona, just as I spotted an old barn with a red brick silo standing sentinel. The red-orange color contrasted with the sun-brightened, white landscape in a remarkable way. That same morning, I happened upon a happy Northern Cardinal couple foraging along the trail at Lake Herman State Park. The male would fly up from the ground intermittently in order to scan the area for intruders. During one of those look out sessions, I happened to catch a photo of his exquisite red feathers against the white of the frosted morning. It was another magical moment brought by the cold beauty of a South Dakota frosted morning, and another reason why it wouldn’t take much to convince me that there is a little bit of magic at play on a frosty day.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.