Ice

Melting ice balanced on groyne, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Balance of the Seasons

A mini glacier melts atop a groyne by the Centre Island pier. Click image to view larger.

Beaver chewing branch in hole in ice, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Beaver Chew

A beaver chews apart a heavy branch from a hole kept open in the lagoon ice. Click image to view larger.

April flowers buried in ice crystals, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Ice Growth

Tiny April flowers lie buried under the ice crystals dropped by the last ice storm.


Ice formations on the boardwalk, Center Island, Toronto Islands

Droop

Incredible ice formations at the Center end of the boardwalk.

The sun sets on ducks swimming through thin ice, Center Island, Toronto Islands

Split Tones

Twilight descends upon a mixed raft of ducks swimming through fresh ice during a -22°C cold snap.

Lake Ontario frozen to the Horizon, Center Island, Toronto Islands

The Frozen

Thin ice on Lake Ontario stretches to the horizon during a -22°C cold snap.


Beach covered in ice, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Transformation

Ward’s Beach is transformed into an alien landscape during a -22°C cold snap.

Frost flowers in front of the Rapids Queen, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Flowers for the Queen

Frost flowers adorn the ice in front of the Rapids Queen.

Mixed ducks in open ice leads, Outer Harbour, Toronto Islands

Dividing Lines

Mixed rafts of ducks swim in open ice leads off of Centre Island.


Pancake ice in the Cove, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Pancake Cove

Pancake ice forms in the Cove during a -25°C cold snap.

Toronto skyline reflected in black ice, Inner Harbour, Toronto Islands

Toronto Iceline 2015

Almost perfect black ice on the inner harbour reflects the Toronto skyline, lit by the incredible blue of a January day.  Get out your skates. Click image to view larger.

Ice formation, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Mother Ship

An ice shelf reaches towards the lake on Ward’s beach.


Frost flowers closeup, Eastern gap, Toronto Islands

Bundles of Love

Frost flowers cover perfect black ice in the Eastern gap.

Special K

Kaya enjoys a balmy day on the ice at Ward’s beach.

Ice coated break wall, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Land’s End

Heavy ice coats the rocks on the breakwater at the end of the Eastern gap.


Frost flowers, Eastern Gap, Toronto Islands

Industrial Flora

‘Frost Flowers‘ cover fresh black ice in the Eastern gap, a phenomenon requiring almost complete stillness and cold air.

Gateway

Shattered ice turns Ward’s beach into a glacial moraine, highlighted by a lovely ice arch.

Steam Frost, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Steam Frost

Steam coming off of the Eastern gap freezes onto overhanging trees, coating them in a thick layer of frost.


Log Ness Monster entombed in ice, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

The Log Ness Monster

Tyler’s Log Ness Monster lies entombed in ice at the end of Ward’s Beach, after a week of cold temperatures and high wind.

Ice sculpture formation, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

The Forming

Waves break against the navigation light at the end of Ward’s beach in -20°C weather, building up layers of ice to form a new version of this previous ice sculpture.

Ferry William Inglis in ice, Inner Harbour, Toronto Islands

Early Ice-in

William Inglis makes her way through a frozen inner harbour, approaching Wards Island.


Kayaking in early morning ice, Inner Harbour, Toronto Islands

Harbour Dawn

After going through Hanlan’s and the airport for almost six weeks in 2004 the ice was pretty thick, and the City contracted out one of the largest tugs in the harbour to break up the ice as much as possible. After six weeks of relative silence the crunchy tinkling sound woke me up, in time […]

Heavy ice on boardwalk, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Shroud

Trees coated in ice frame the Centre Island pier after a particularly heavy winter storm.

Skating on black ice, Outer harbour, Toronto Islands

Black Ice Reflections

Skating on the legendary black ice of 2005, between the Island and the Spit.  Will we ever see the likes of it again?


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