Ice on the fennel plants looks pretty, but the songbirds that pick at the fennel seeds are dismayed when they see this. Their food source that would otherwise bring some heat to their little bodies is  covered in ice.

The deer, too, can suffer when this happens out in the woods. The small twigs on the shrubs of deciduous trees get a coating of ice, and it is very hard on the deer who rely on the twigs to browse on in the winter. Imagine thinking you’ll get a meal of twigs and you get a mouthful of ice instead.

Only sunshine or a warm current of air and maybe some rain can bring the seeds back to an edible condition.

Here is another version of ice in nature – a frozen creek surface.

While it is a pretty design, it reminds me of how easily animals can get into trouble walking on thin ice. If you have a dog who likes to be by the water, be especially careful not to let him/her go onto the thin ice of ponds or creeks that look safe but can be deadly.

Please keep an eye on your pets near thin ice.

I is for ice – sometimes pretty, but not always nice.