Lucky Moray residents chance upon rare and fleeting hair ice
A RARE winter wonder has been spotted around Moray in recent weeks by Northern Scot readers.
Hair ice, also known as ice wool or frost beard, forms on dead wood and takes on the appearance of fine, silky hair.
It is reported mostly at latitudes of between 45 and 55 degrees north in broadleaf forests.
Regular photo contributor to the paper Alan Fraser, from Lhanbryde, came across the uncommon sight while out walking in the nearby Crooked Woods on Saturday morning.
Mr Fraser said: "It's something I only ever see once or twice a year, if I'm lucky."
Another reader, Suzie Clark, from Forres, spotted the fleeting ice formation at Randolph's Leap on Sunday.
The phenomenon occurs when ice crystals form at below-freezing temperatures and are then sculpted into fine strands by a fungus, exidiopsis effusa.
The delicate structure will instantly melt and disappear if touched.
