Rime ice covered these pine needles entirely
When ice forms on a tree, people often think the occurrence makes the perfect snap for a post on social media. That is probably the case with this photo. While most Internet users believe this phenomenon is related to hoarfrost, it’s usually caused by rime ice, which is slightly different.
Rime ice tends to form when the water droplets in the fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. You can often see this natural phenomenon on trees atop mountains and ridges in winter when low-hanging clouds cause freezing fog. Although rime ice looks impressive, it can damage trees enough to break and even kill them.