In February 2018, a puddle of red water was found in Glacier National Park, Montana, later identified as melted vermillion snow caused by snow algae. This occurrence of watermelon snow, also known as red or pink snow, is common in alpine regions during the summer. The event was documented by park visitors and scientists, highlighting the role of algae in glacial melt.

The Glacier National Park red snow was noted by American nature poets and writers, who saw in it a sign of the changing climate and the fragility of alpine ecosystems. The motif of red snow in American poetry, from the Romantics to the present, continues to evoke the sublime and the precarious beauty of the natural world.