Snowshoeing and Crystals

Today's outdoor activity was snowshoeing up onto the hill behind our house (extra 1). The snow is covered in ice-crystals, as are the twigs, and even these buds. The crystals appear as the air grows colder and even the little water vapour present in the dry air becomes too much, and turns to ice. It's a more extreme version of the same process that leaves frost feathers on windows in cold weather. (See 2nd extra.)
It's a hard life for a bud in this part of the world!
As we walked and brushed by the twigs the crystals rained down onto the snow. I felt a bit like a vandal as I destroyed the delicate formations but if we were to go anywhere there was no choice!
The pictured crystals were a bit off the track so they survive a day or two more, until the temperature goes up above zero.