When Nature Becomes a Work of Art
Florida Seashells have been transplanted to Wisconsin just like us. Over the years, we have collected seashells (empty of the mollusk that once lived in them) from our beach visits. Full buckets conchs, knobbed whelks, scallops, clams and olive shells left in the swash zone for us to find.
In Wisconsin, our shell collection has been stored in jars, researched, identified, decorated our garden paths, lined a pond, and scattered about to be found later.
Last summer, our oldest son suggested we hang a rain chain for our cottage without gutters. Our daughter helped us drill holes in the shells, and we strung them on copper wire to hang by our front door to serve as a downspout for the rain.
I enjoyed watching the rain trickle down the curved lines and drip from one shell to another. I did not anticipate the transformation of our Atlantic Coast shell chain in winter.
Snow on the roof dripped into freezing temperatures once the sun's warmth shone to melt each drop. It began at the top whelk as a thin water layer, then the cold air froze it again. A slow process, with liquid layering over it each day, icicles have grown, working their way over bigger shells, missing smaller shells that could not be reached. Midway down, an icicle grasps onto a large conch. When the sun liquified the next layer, it pooled into a large scallop serving as a bowl filled from the spire’s icicle and continued to the next level. Compared to the other icicles nearby hanging off our roof, the water flow has veiled itself in suspension over shells’ shapes, points, and curves, leaving hollow spaces in between. The colors change with natural light depending on the gray sky or sunshine and the reflecting hues nearby. Light catches and distorts the bending of the icicles over and under their new form, transforming them into a stunning linear sculpture.
It has become a work of art!
The University of Toronto has conducted numerous studies of icicles, researching how bumps or ripples are formed. An icicle’s formation creates ripples due to a thin layer of water on the surface that freezes and thaws, known as “wet ice growth.” This mysteriously forms evenly spaced ripples, including our seashell icicle, no matter the size or shape.
Maybe you have encountered something that has astonished you this winter: delicate patterns, a unique design, surprising color, or linear “drawings” you have noticed in nature. I would love to read what you have seen. Please leave your comments below
