Snowflake Bentley Quotes

“But with patience and determination, Wilson catalogued hundreds of snowflake photographs, gave slideshows of his findings and, when he was 66, published a book of his photos.”

“A biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations.”

“Often misunderstood in his time, Wilson Bentley took pictures that even today reveal two important truths about snowflakes: first, that not two are alike, and second, that each one is startlingly beautiful.”

“Wilson Bentley was always fascinated by snow. In childhood and adulthood, he saw each tiny crystal of a snowflake as a little miracle and wanted to understand them.”

“His parents supported his curiosity and saved until they could give him his own camera and microscope. At the time, his enthusiasm was misunderstood.”

“His work became the basis for all we know about beautiful, unique snowflakes today. ”

“But from the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley thinks of the icy crystals as small miracles, and he determines that one day his camera will capture for others their extraordinary beauty.”

“Willie Bentley’s happiest days were snowstorm days. He watched snowflakes fall in his mittens, on the dried grass of Vermont farm fields, on the dark metal handle of the barn door. He said snow was as beautiful as butterflies, or apple blossoms.”

“He could pick apple blossoms and take them to his mother. But he could not share snowflakes because he could not save them. Willie’s mother was his teacher until he was fourteen years old.”

“While other children built forts and pelted snowballs as roosting crows, Willie was catching single snowflakes. Day after stormy day he studied the icy crystals. He kept a record of the weather and did many experiments with raindrops.”