The snowflake is Mother Nature’s very own hand knit lace, delicate and easily destroyed by a careless hand. How does Mother Nature put together such a beautiful piece of work?
Snowflakes are made up of tiny water droplets formed around little bits of airborne debris, dust, pollens and other minute particles. The water droplets are blown about high in the air and are cooled to below freezing temperatures. When a speck of dust or other particle comes into contact with the floating water particles, the water freezes and crystallizes. More and more water droplets will attach and eventually the snowflake will be heavy enough to be carried towards the ground. Even then, many snowflakes don’t make it to the ground. They either melt, evaporate or are destroyed by the wind.
Snowflakes are always six sided and always symmetrical, yet each one is unique. Snowflakes end up this way due to the fact that they are made of water. The snowflake’s water molecules can only fit together a certain way, resulting in the six sided symmetrical shape. The one of a kind design comes from six sided connections coming together in nearly infinite combinations.
Of the snowflakes that do reach the ground, the beauty of only a rare few snowflakes are actually appreciated by human eyes. These snowflakes are the ones that are carefully caught on the tip of a mitten or caught in a loved one’s eyelash. So next time you are out and the snow is falling, be sure to stop and admire at least on of Mother Nature’s fleeting but magnificent creations, the snowflake.