An Autumnal Frost

We had the first proper frost of autumn in Hereford on the morning of 23rd November.  So I risked frost nip to the toes and fingers and took some quick snapshots.

The birds water bath was frozen over, so no bath for them this morning.

The fallen leaves with their rich autumnal colours looked striking rimed with frost.

There are still some leaves left on the trees, the silver birches looked topped with gold in the sunlight.

Frost forms on solid objects whose temperature drops below freezing and when the surrounding air drops below the dew point. The Met Office explains the different types of frost that can occur. The term hoar frost comes from an old English word meaning aged and is applied because when the trees and foliage turn white they mimic the look of grey or white hair.

There is a magnificent display of berries on the cotoneaster shrubs, this will please the blackbirds no end. This plant is a member of the Rosaceae family and is related to hawthorns and rowan. The flowers provide sustenance for moths, butterflies and bees.

In England there is a character called Jack Frost who was believed to be a spirit responsible for creating the intricate patterns that frost forms on windows. In Russia there is Ded Moroz, which roughly translates as Old Man Frost. In pre-Christian times Ded Moroz used to freeze people in order to kidnap their children, so gifts were given to him to dissuade him from this unpleasant activity. Later he became rather like Santa Claus, but he delivers presents at New Year and has a female helper, his grand daughter Snegurochka the Snow Maiden. Stalin insisted that he have a blue coat so that he could not be mistaken for Santa. Thanks to Stalin’s efforts Ded Moroz became a popular figure throughout Eastern Europe, unlike Stalin himself.