The ice fungi has again sprung again in Japan.  I have never seen them before coming to Japan.  In reality they have a a given name of ice needles or ice columns, but I still prefer my given word of ice fungi.  They seemingly sprout over night when the conditions are just right.  In fact there are so many creative names given to this phenomenon:  ice castles, frost castles, ice fringes, ice filaments, ice flowers, ice ribbons, frost flowers,  and rabbit ice.  All so beautiful, but again I got to go with my my heart and I just love the sound of ice fungi.

Those conditions are the ground is not frozen, but the surrounding air is below the freezing point.  The water is quickly crystalized out of the ground and freeze in the air.  Leaving behind stunning patterns of ice that sprout forth out the ground.  They often have little earthen heads, which agains leads me to call them ice fungi.

They are tiny.  So tiny most people shuffle on by with out paying them any notice.  For me, they freeze me in my tracks, and I have to get down on my hands and knees to peep them in their frozen beauty.  The patterns, and variations are endless.

The mysteries of the world are sometimes right there in our field of vision.  The choice is ours if we choose to see what is right there.  Or, are we just going to pass them on by like the sleeping masses.