The first month of the year, named after Janus, the Roman god who is depicted with two faces, one looking forward and one looking back, is often thought to be the bleakest month of the year. Yes, it can be cold, icy and snowy with limited daylight, but what a glorious time to get out and about and see all that is happening right around us. From the first week of January the days start to get noticeably longer – easier to appreciate in the evenings as the morning do still seem quite dark.
One of the strangest things to spot along the river paths at Logie is hair ice – also known as ice wool or frost beard.
It is a rare type of ice formation where the presence of a particular fungus in moist rotting wood from a broadleaf tree produces thin strands of ice which resemble hair – or candy floss.
The conditions for the creation are very specific – but it does seem to happen along the river paths at some point during most winters at Logie. There is a brilliant time-lapse video of the formation of this delicate ice on the web. Click here to see it!
There is a lot to lift the spirits at this time of the year – whether it is the birds enjoying the moments of sunshine, or plants just doing their thing – why not wrap up warm and get out there and share their optimism?!
Panny Laing, January 2025
