Frozen Leaves in a Stone Birdbath

Water swells by about nine percent as it freezes. That's why ice floats on a pond. It's also why a stone birdbath left full through a hard frost can crack. Overnight a thin, cracked sheet of ice has sealed red and brown maple leaves into this one, a frozen birdbath jigsaw puzzle set in a bare, frosty garden. The birds will have to wait for the sun before they get a drink.