Through the Woods: Freezing rain can look cool

Oh yes! It’s for sure that freezing rain can strike fear in us all. Icy roadways, broken tree limbs, electric power outages, trees falling on cars or houses are all very dangerous and unwelcome results of freezing rain.

Little to nothing is gained by experiencing freezing rain. But beauty can be found in the icicle formations if you chance to look for it.

On Sunday, Jan. 5, I ventured out in the freezing rain hoping to find something interesting. I was surprised to find icicles hanging from the catkins of a thicket of wild American hazelnut trees. The catkins were just beginning to grow. Most were less than an inch long. Catkins are the male reproductive parts of the hazelnut tree. The tree itself is slender and can grow to about 12 feet tall. The design inside the icicle was intriguing to me.

Horrell is an artist and outdoorsman. He lives in Chaffee. He owns Painted Wren Art Gallery in Cape Girardeau.