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Dog walker spots rare 'hair ice' in woods

Melanie Warburton Melanie Warburton and her dog Winston in a wooded area by a stream. Melanie is wearing a purple coat and blue jeans and is crouched looking at the camera. She has long dark hair and is wearing black-rimmed glasses.Melanie Warburton
Melanie Warburton and her dog Winston were walking in the woods when they stumbled upon the very rare ice formation

Dog walker Melanie Warburton was amazed to stumble on a rare ice formation known as hair ice- even though she thought it could be an old wet wipe.

The mum-of-one was out walking with Jack Russell cross Winston when she spotted the phenomenon earlier this month.

According to the Met Office it forms where the presence of a particular fungus in rotting wood produces thin strands of ice which resemble hair or candy floss.

The 53-year-old said: "You could mistake it for a discarded wet wipe. I just didn't know what it was."

Melanie Warburton Hair ice on a branch in a woodMelanie Warburton
Melanie had no idea what the phenomenon was when she first saw it

"I could see something white in the distance and I thought that's a bit odd.

"Is it a bit of rubbish or a tissue? Or you might think it's a bit of snow or fungus."

After googling it she realised what it was she had seen.

She has since spotted it a few times, both in woods at Carnetown, in Abercynon, and on the Lady Windsor Trail, in Ynysybwl, both in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Being ice, it was cold to the touch.

"I didn't pick them up, I let them be," said Melanie, who works for Rhondda Cynon Taf council.

Melanie Warburton Hair ice on a branch in a woods Melanie Warburton
A quick spot of googling solved the mystery

When she got back to her home in Pontypridd her husband Julian, 61, was impressed by her snaps.

"He then came on a walk with me to come and have a look," Melanie said.

It was "fascinating" what was around us, Melanie said.

"You have got to observe, that's part of what I like about going out with the dog. Being mindful and observing things," she said.

Melanie Warburton Hair ice on a branch on the ground. There are brown leaves surrounding it.Melanie Warburton
The conditions required for the formation of hair ice are extremely specific, hence the relative scarcity of sightings

"It is about appreciating the wonder of what is around us and it is lovely to see things you did not expect."

Winston showed few signs of sharing her fascination with the world.

"My dog completely ignored them," Melanie said.

"Just went about sniffing everything else."