Environment Planet Earth 13 Perfect Snowflakes Captured in Photos By Catie Leary Catie Leary Writer and Photographer Georgia State University Catie Leary writes and curates visual stories about science, animals, the arts, travel, and the natural world. Learn about our editorial process Updated December 6, 2019 A perfect, single snowflake. Mariia Tagirova/Shutterstock Share Twitter Pinterest Email Environment Weather Outdoors Conservation Snowflakes — those intricate, one-of-a-kind ice crystals — form when precipitation falls through varying levels of humidity and temperatures in the air. While plenty has been written about the science of snow, we're focusing on the sheer beauty of them. Here are some to study and admire, with a nod to some beautiful frost as well. Snowflakes show their individual flair, even in a group. Joanna Poe [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr Frost makes the grass look like glass shards. AJC1 [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr Snowflakes land where they please, even in a person's hair. Gui Seiz [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr Snowflake crystals look so beautiful when you look at them up close. Bobkov Evgeniy/Shutterstock Snowflakes photographed along the curve of an airplane's window. ~ezs [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr The snow contrasts beautifully with the blue. deldevries [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr Frost on the window looks like art. MerelyRachel [CC BY-ND 2.0]/Flickr The crystals in frost can even look like ferns. Bachkova Natalia/Shutterstock Perfect, whole snowflakes rest on a plank of wood. Doug Waldron [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Flickr You're supposed to catch snowflakes on your tongue, but eyelashes will do in a pinch. blessings/Shutterstock A perfect, single snowflake. Mariia Tagirova/Shutterstock Even piled on top of one another, individual snowflakes still find a way to stand out from the crowd. Cristian H. Gomez/Shutterstock Snow doesn't always end up on the ground. Sometimes it ends on fallen leaves. Rosmarie Voegtli [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr