Bad for the Trees

We had a pretty good snowfall over the weekend, here in this mountainous region of the United States where I reside.

Now, a few days later, some very cool-looking icicles have formed on the trees and shrubbery along the side of the house. Cool, as in groovy. They are particularly stunning in late afternoon light.

These pictures are from early in the day.

I'm sure it's really bad for the trees, though – the branches encased in ice.

I view it as a trade-off.  Yeah, it may be doing some damage. But we got some desperately needed moisture, and a boost to the snowpack.

It happens just about every year. A big snow followed by a sunny day – and a Great Meltdown ensues. The runoff freezes in late afternoon and into the night, and voila! We end up with the spectacle seen here.