"Ice Gem"

Kings River Falls Natural Area, Madison County, AR -- Early springtime.

After a night of just-freezing temperatures, water seeping over rocks near the falls froze around a few sprigs of liverwort and one perfect small leaf left over from the previous autumn. Sunlight, shadow and melting ice produced an Ozark gem. In photography, timing is everything -- moments after the exposure, this fragment broke loose from the bluff line.