Described by the Oxford Dictionary as a receptacle for keeping dried plants, a herbarium that is frozen is surely the best kind. Benefitting from refracted light, as well as the addition of fresh berries and pressed fronds, these pieces of arrested nature come from the imagination of Sayuki Ueno of Ueno Farm, in Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido.

The requirements are simple: a tupperware dish or baking mold, boiled water and freezing temperatures—preferably below 14ºF.

Frozen artworks become bird feeders with the aid of donut molds and twine.

As the ice melts in sunshine, their contents become available for birds to eat. They can be made fresh every morning.

Boiled water is better at keeping its clarity, although rapidly dropping temperatures can cause some cloudiness. A partly-open lid can slow things down; a home freezer is an alternative to outdoor freezing.

“The combinations are endless. I want to expand the way to enjoy plants in the snow country,” says Mrs Ueno.