December 2020 • Nebraskaland 33
Ice
Bubbles
A
s a photographer drawn mostly to small
subjects like bugs and flowers, it can be hard
to find much to photograph after the end of the
growing season. Most invertebrates die, migrate or go
dormant. Plants wither and turn brown. It's fun to seek
out interesting texture and patterns after a fresh snow
or on a frosty morning, but those opportunities are
relatively uncommon during most winters.
When I start to feel especially stir crazy, one of my
go-to remedies is a trip to a frozen pond or wetland.
As long as it's cold enough to freeze the surface of
those water bodies, I can usually find something
worth investigating and photographing up close.
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
ABOVE: Pockets of air trapped in the ice along a wetland edge create intriguing
patterns at the Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies in Hall County.
LEFT: The texture of the ice surface made these bubbles look like part of a painting
at the Nature Conservancy's Platte River Prairies.
