Down by the river, I found an icicle that looked a little different from the rest.
A rather putrid yellow colour, granted, but none the less a curiosity: it was on an alder tree that looked like it was fighting a bit of a battle with decay and fungus.
The icicle had formed from an oozing cankerous growth (sorry were you having your breakfast whilst reading this?)
And I’ve since noticed a spine of bracket fungus in the fork of this tree (which is better than having it on your stairs.) I might have to return for a closer look.
I’d set out to go and look at the icicles in a ‘cattle creep’ under the railway line that Mr Uhdd had discovered on his run, they weren’t the easiest things to photograph, but here they are.
This morning it rained leaving the roads and pavements glazed with ice and now we are wrapped in low cloud, but the snow is melting and the blackbirds can at last get to the leaf litter to forage for food. We may even manage to see some grass soon.



You never know what you’ll find when you go out, but there’s always something intereting. These knock the ‘chilly willy’ into a cocked hat. They’re amazing!
Wow, creepy and fascinating at the same time! The bottom photos remind me Dracula fangs.
I was eating lunch, but nonetheless interesting story on icicle coloration. It’s warming a bit here too, luckily without the ice on the roads, but will funky icicles starting to form. Some are posted on my blog today.
We may have fungus on the stairs but fortunately, no icicles!
Actually, we have none outside either. All our snow has gone though the air is cold enough to suggest that we might have more.
I think you’ve managed to capture them quite well – love that third image especially.
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Icicles are just fascinating. Just what is it about dripping water and cold weather that produces these sparkling tapered objects.