Taken in 2014 at Devil’s Lake State Park. It usually happens in late fall, winter, or early spring – this was shot in late fall.

When water vapor molecules contact a subfreezing surface, such as a blade of grass, they jump directly from the gas state to solid state, a process known as “deposition”, leading to a coating of tiny ice crystals.

With more moisture in the air, the interlocking crystal patterns of frost become more intricate, building up to a greater depth on tree branches, signs, fences, anything.