Ice Flowers(?) FZ-150

For the last 24 hours or so we've been under an "on again, off again" fog layer with the temperature hovering around freezing. Took the dog for a walk around the lake today and saw these white "lumps" of frost completely covering the otherwise clean surface of the ice. Upon closer inspection they proved to be what I'd call "Ice Flowers" or "Frost Flowers". I've heard about them forming when sea ice forms quickly but never on fresh water. They appear to be super-sized frost needles (like you'd see on a tree, fence, etc) about 4-6" long. I'd appreciate it if someone can confirm or correct my "guess" as to exactly what these ice or frost formations are properly called.

The first picture taken (obviously) with the camera sitting on the ice ("Thank you for the tilt & twist screen") and the second is a tele-macro. The lake ice itself is dead smooth (OK, there are some ripples but not many) and about 6" thick... there were some ice fishermen out on it and more showing up in the parking lot.

I should have noticed the aperture in #1 and choked it down a bit to get a better DOF and a bit less exposure.





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"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it." - Winston Churchill