The Land of Melting Shadows: Weird Wednesday ~ An Ocean Meadow

The Land of Melting Shadows

There once was a land, no further away than your imagination. A Land where the Trees’ whispers can be heard on the wind. And the squirrels chitter and chatter as they scamper to and fro amongst the branches - playing their endless game of tag.

A Land where the Brooks babble endlessly amid fern covered banks. Fish and Tadpoles play a game of Leapfrog in the clear, cool water and Turtles sunbathe nearby.

A Land where the tall Grasses sway in the breeze as if dancing to a distant tune. Wild flowers wave their petals at the busy Bees who fly by; Beckoning to them. Enticing them.

A Land where the Deer graze peacefully in the lush, green valleys. A Land where the Birds and the Faeries gather in the bushes of an evening to share the day's gossip. And the Frog serenade, with Cricket accompaniment, continues well into the night.

A Land where the morning sun melts the night into the shadows of the day. And at sunset the shadows melt into night. But there are times when the shadows melt into things best left to one’s imagination.

A Land of Melting Shadows.

What appears to be a meadow of flowers is actually ice crystals forming on the ocean's surface. These "Crystal Flowers" form when the air is exceptionally dry and extremely colder than the ocean's surface. The cold dry air vaporizes bits of ice, making the air humid. But the cold air makes the water vapor heavy and the moisture turns back into ice crystals, making "Flowers" that can reach 2 to 3 inches in length.

These blossoms are three times as salty as the ocean, contain about 1 to 2 milliliters of water when melted, and yet almost a million creatures (bacteria) will be living in each "flower".