Winter is approaching. Temperatures are falling, deciduous trees are losing their leaves, and icy autumn storms are sweeping the landscapes. The first snow has already fallen, but as is so often the case in autumn inversion weather, it has melted once again in the mountains. Instead, icy hoar frost covers the trees, creating a rare, glittering backdrop in the mountain forests.
The tiny crystals of hoar frost accentuate every last contour of the individual branches, even the orange-brown blades of grass on the ground are covered with a fine layer of ice. Behind the trees, nature disappears in dense white fog that has settled over the whole of central Switzerland.
Hoarfrost is formed when water vapor from the air settles on objects or plants. As a prerequisite, therefore, the air humidity must be high and the air temperature low in order to be able to admire this ephemeral natural spectacle. On this autumn day in November, all factors come together to produce these two trees shrouded in hoarfrost.
Our photo of the month for November was taken in the Hoch Ybrig region of central Switzerland, near the small mountain village of Oberiberg, on an icy day just before the end of the month. Just a few days later, nothing was left of this sight, winter had come with its snowfalls and instead of hoarfrost, a thick layer of snow covered the trees and meadows. Especially in landscape photography, it is therefore also always called to be quick with the camera, because the conditions can change quickly and make unique opportunities disappear in the blink of an eye.
