A Saunter for the Senses

A guest post by KVR Educator Chuck Hatfield.

It’s 3:30 PM as I stare out the window. The beautiful fairy-land of frost is gone, but the gray hills in the distance are robed in snow—warmed by the afternoon sun. I know these KVR hills.  They are miles away; steep and treacherous—covered in loose, new fallen snow and layers of slippery oak leaves. I used to be a hiker…no, John Muir disliked that word…I was instead a saunterer, one who “goes here and there” like a pilgrim in the “holy land.”  Then I had hip surgery, and my world got smaller. 

Recently I reread an article written 88 years ago this month by Helen Keller, a remarkable woman who was both blind and deaf. She wrote:

I asked a friend who had returned from a long walk in the woods, what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied.  How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note?

Healing, especially at my age, is frustratingly slow—bone and tissue first, with muscle and conditioning lagging, requiring a commitment to action. Snow shoveling was my commitment for the day. But I stare at a small notch of dark hemlocks, low on the hillside far away. I know that place! Its mysterious beauty, its haunting history, never fails to connect my soul to this amazing land. I am called...

In minutes I am following a wide, snowy trail, already packed by hundreds of boots. I turn off the main trail, finding my own path through the brush, now marked only by deer tracks.  It leads down into the steep valley where the ice-skirted Kickapoo River flows. As I cross the first small tributary, I stop to listen. The woods seem empty and I am expecting silence.  Not so. The wild cry of a pileated woodpecker echoes among the bluffs. A crow calls.  The river gurgles a response. Falling frost needles whisper past my ears.

I am now in a unique world where time has stood still—holding within it the spirit of the ice ages. When the last glacial ice sheet that surrounded the Driftless Area melted its way north, the sunny hillsides and ridges began a long transition to oak savanna prairies, mixed hardwood and pine forests.  But the steeply cut, moist, sandstone ravines—with cool, northern or eastern exposure—allowed a very special community of plants adapted to life on the edge of a frozen world to persist. 

Yellow Birch Bark

Blue Bead Lily

Partridge Berry

 These microclimates contain the dark forests of hemlocks, interspersed with yellow birch, Canada yew, and eastern white pine, along with wintergreen, partridge berry, blue-bead lily, northern monkshood, and many other species that would normally be found hundreds of miles further north. 

In front of me a rocky, lichen-encrusted cliff thrusts itself into the river, seeming to block my passage beyond.  But I see that the deer tracks continue, and I know their secret.  A nearly invisible ledge of rock skirts the base of the bluff, providing a safe path to a wild and beautiful river woodland. Protected from human traffic by the river to the east and a wall of rock on the other, the snow is a newspaper of tracks and trails. All manner of animals, small and large, roam this marshy woods.  I stand for a while, absorbing the stories around me.  But, today I have a goal: the ice cave.

I reach a small valley that opens through the nearly continuous wall of rock. Only a careful gaze can see the bit of ice visible in a dark shadow above, not worth the effort to climb. Still, I hobble my way up to the shadow and find that the valley abruptly ends in a shallow half-circle cave. It is 5 to 20 feet in height  and 10 to 15 in depth, the whole cave being over 100 feet wide. 

Short but beautiful ice formations flank the sides, with several tall, magnificent ice columns gracing the center. It has the unsettling feeling of sacred space. I sit, my heart slows, and my senses reach out to explore…

Weeping sandstone, dripping in frozen lacework on the back wall…

The steady patter of falling water, a melody echoing from a hidden chamber within the column…

Pale blue-green light filtered through the icy veil…

The rattle of a small rock falling from the ceiling, the cluttered floor a witness to a process ongoing for thousands of years…

A feeling of safety and protection—a sense of history, of quiet ghosts of those who may have occupied this snug haven ages ago…

The heady smells of damp rocks, decaying leaves, of muddy soils…

Tracks of a small animal, barely visible in the twilight, leading to a dark hole in the far corner…

The ceiling, covered by the holes and impressions of 100s of fossilized Paleozoic worms…

The quiet, musical “clink” as I break off a tiny icicle, its melting coldness caressing my tongue….

I am enchanted by these lovely revelations and I admit that I seldom give my senses such full access to my conscious brain. Perhaps I have more worthy things to think about?  I continue to recall the words of Helen Keller: 

I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch, feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough shaggy bark of a pine. In spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep. […and, even as I think of smells, my nose is full of scents that start awake sweet memories of summers gone and ripening fields far away].

Perhaps John Muir’s origin or definition of a saunterer was not accurate. Regardless, today I sauntered to this sacred place, bringing with me my greatest gifts—my senses.  And, it is awareness of these sensual moments that calls me to explore the world around me more fully, more intimately.  It is not just my healing leg that requires exercise!

Need a little food for your senses and rest from your emotions? Saunter along the river through the beautiful Kickapoo Valley Reserve and its sacred places; any day, any season, just do it!!

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A note to our visitors...

We encourage everyone who hikes to the ice formations at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve this winter to be mindful of the fragility of the ice in a season that could see more traffic than usual as folks seek opportunities to get outside. Please remember that the Reserve's intent is to conserve, restore, and maintain the ecology and biodiversity of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, while balancing access and recreation for visitors. Winter features like the ice formations are a part of this. Please avoid handling the ice and consider taking photos. We love to see photos shared on our social media pages. Thank you for being a part of the community that cares about the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and its many gifts. For more information, visit the Kickapoo Valley Reserve website and consult the Winter Trails Map.

Solstice: Celebrating Winter

Mid-winter or Solstice (December 21) is upon us. Here in Wisconsin the sun is already setting at 4:30pm and not rising again until 7:30am.That's a loooong winter night! Winter Solstice, the time of nature's darkness, has long been celebrated by humans around the world. In Northern climates celebrations often include fire and light to signify welcoming back the sun, and turning toward the renewing days of spring.

While the nights are long, the days of mid-winter in Wisconsin are often sunny and bright.  Taking long walks in the winter sunshine can be rejuvenating and so very interesting. What do you see, hear and find? Where are all the animals and what are they doing to stay warm?  Where do they shelter and what do they eat? How are the trees living through the cold?

To supplement your winter wonderings (and wanderings) you might check out these amazing books. There are some for adults and some for children.

Winter World by Bernd Heinrich

Stokes Guide to Nature in Winter by Donald Stokes

The Longest Night by Marian Dane Bauer

Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here by Jean Craighead George

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis

Indoors there are many ways to continue to observe nature. A favorite is feeding and watching the birds outside your window. Young children can have an up-front seat to bird observation in the comfort of their homes. Many hours can be spent observing the ways that birds use their beaks to eat seeds, how they preen their feathers and how they chase away intruders at the feeder! KVR Instructor Barb Duerksen wrote a great post with tips and reminders about bird feeding back in October.

Collecting bits and pieces of nature and bringing them inside can be another wonderful way to observe and explore winter in the warmth of your home. Create an ever-changing seasonal nature table in your home! For more about creating nature tables, check out The Nature Corner: Celebrating the Year's Cycle with Seasonal Tableaux by M.V. Leeuwen and J. Moeskops.

Stargazing after the sun sets continues to delight during the winter season. Tonight, if the skies are clear from your corner of the world, check out this rare event with Jupiter and Saturn that is happening on solstice. If skies are cloudy in your area, there is a livestream available on the link. KVR Instructor and Astroeducator John Heasley also wrote about Winter Solstice Great Conjunction here. 

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The Learning Outside blog will take a break until the week of January 11, 2021. We wish our readers everywhere opportunities to notice and appreciate the light of the new season. Thank you for joining us in 2020.

Weatherproofing Children (and Their Adults!) for Winter

Last week we posted about great local options folks have for winter activities. Part of getting geared up for winter is shifting our mindsets and being prepared. Norwegians have a term that's useful in considering weather-hardiness. It's friluftsliv, which means "free outdoor life." In Norway, there's a saying about there not being any bad weather...only bad clothes! 

So as the temperature drops and snowflakes begin to fly, we have some tips and ideas for not only getting your children ready to embrace winter's wonders, but for you, too.

Kickapoo Valley Forest School Leadership Team members Julia Buckingham and Ximena Puig recently led a virtual roundtable focused on winter and weather resiliency. Their presentation included the following great tips we'd like to share. Forest school students and their families will gain lots of experience in embracing all kinds of weather, and the guidelines we have for them work for everyone.

Embrace wonder.

Children absorb adults' energy and attitudes toward just about everything, and the weather is no exception. Be aware of how you talk about the weather and consider being open to the beauty of cold, the way the landscape changes, and the challenge of getting out to explore. Your excitement and wonder can spark the same enthusiasm in children, and this is an important aspect of developing winter resilience.

Dress in layers.

We can't stress this enough. Trapping heat in a base layer and middle layer can make a huge difference in comfort. Selecting an outer layer that repels water and wind is essential. You can always remove a layer, but adding one is difficult once you are out and about. Dressing appropriately helps children really explore without worry over getting wet and cold, and it can help you stay out longer if you've brought along snacks and a bottle of water. 

Wool is your friend.

Naturally moisture-absorbing and lightweight for it's warmth, wool is a great layer. For those who are allergic to wool, there are many alternatives made of synthetic materials or silk. 

Create systems for caring for outdoor gear.

Be sure to make a plan for drying your outdoor gear, hanging it for next time, and dealing with the puddles, mud, and mess that is an inevitable part of coming in from the outdoors. Involving your children by having reachable hooks and spots for muddy boots makes learning to take care of our gear part of the whole process of enjoying the outdoors. 

Julia and Ximena also shared great ideas for some activities you can do outdoors this winter including gathering treasure for ice suncatchers, making pinecone bird feeders, and telling stories based on animal tracks. 

There was a great recent feature on NPR about weatherizing ourselves for winter. Interspersed with fantastic cartoons by LA Johnson about dressing like an onion and eating snacks rich in fat, calories, and protein (yay!), this article and accompanying audio has some excellent tips for adults as we embrace this new season. 

When you come inside, don't forget to read books together about winter life and adventures to inspire your next outdoor day. Here's a list of 100 picture books to read with children. 

Wishing you a wonderful winter season!

Winter Trails

While snow has yet to stay on the ground here in SW Wisconsin, those of us who love winter are getting ready. Skis are being waxed, snowshoes are getting dusted off, and the layers of fleece and wool are coming out to stay.

Although long-term forecasts can be dubious, I'm holding out that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Farmers' Almanac will be correct in their predictions for above average snowfall in Wisconsin this year.

Winter is an exceptional time to get outside. There is nothing quite like a bright and sunny 10 degree winter day in Wisconsin. The ice crystals glint off every surface, the snow squeaks beneath your boots or skis and all the world is still.  Perhaps a hawk cuts an arch above you in the blue sky or you notice the tiniest trail of a busy seed-collecting rodent, but it is evident that this is a time of rest for nature.  A deep inbreath for us all.

As soon as there is enough snow on the ground, our crew will be out grooming those trails for cross country skiing.  The Kickapoo Valley Reserve maintains approximately 10 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails for both classic and skate skiing. The five miles of the Old Highway 131 Trail provide an excellent opportunity to experience the solitude and beauty of the Reserve. Other groomed trails include the Dam Trail, Old Harris Road Trail and Star Valley Road.  Additional trails may be groomed as time permits. The more adventurous are welcomed to make their own tracks into the wild.  Please note: Skiers may not ski on the snowmobile trail.

Even if you aren't a skier, there are so many ways to get out and enjoy the beauty of winter.  Check out the KVR Winter Trail Map here.  On it you'll find trails marked for cross-country skiing, for fat-tire bikes, and snowshoeing.  Before you come, visit our website and Facebook page for current winter trail conditions.

Most years spectacular ice formations can be found in the deep valleys that are home to sandstone rock shelters. This map marks they way to two of our favorite ice formation locations.  Please always remember that ice and rock are fragile--never climb on the ice formations.  Please take only pictures and leave only footprints.

There are copies of the Winter Guide Map available at the public bathrooms in the KVR Visitor Center Parking lot. Snowshoes (adult and child sizes) can be rented, by the day, for use on the KVR. They are $5/day for adults and free for children. Visitors will still need a day pass or annual pass to use the trails. There are not designated nor groomed snowshoe trails, although the summer trail system is easy to follow in the winter. Please always snowshoe along side the groomed ski tracks rather than on them, snowshoeing on the groomed ski track makes them difficult for skiers to use.

Bluedog Cycles in Viroqua is a another great place to rent cross country skis and fat tire bikes, by the day or the week. Winter fat tire biking (FTB) is a popular activity at the KVR. Bikes must be non-motorized pedal bikes, tires 3.7-5 inches, and 10 psi or lower. There are approximately 8 miles of  FTB trails on the Reserve.  Located on the eastern side of the property, FTP trails are winter trails (Jan 1 - March 15) and are subject to closure during the season. The following criteria must be in place for the FTB trails to remain open: 1)The ground must be frozen.  2) The temperature must be 25 degrees F or below. Closures will be posted at FTB trail heads, our website, KVR Facebook page, and at the Visitor Center. A current year annual permit or KVR day pass is required to use the trails. Users must stay on designated trails or adjacent roads. The FTB trails on the Reserve are not groomed. They are considered backcountry trails, are narrow and winding, and are shared with snowshoers and hikers. Please be courteous and practice friendly trail etiquette when encountering other trail users.

Snowmobiling is a popular winter activity in our region, and a segment of Wisconsin's self-funded snowmobile trail system winds its way through the Reserve. A local snowmobile club grooms and maintains the trail from December 15 through March 31, snow cover permitting.  Enjoy the Reserve's scenic ridges and valleys by snowmobile, the only motorized vehicle allowed to operate on Reserve lands. Snowmobile enthusiasts are required to stay on the designated snowmobile trail.

Star gazing is an excellent activity for clear winter nights. Visit the Driftless Stargazing Facebook page for frequent updates on what's visible in our local night skies, then bundle up and get out with a thermos of hot cocoa. 

Whether your goal is to get some exercise, find solitude, take photos or just notice the stark beauty that a fresh coat of snow brings to our landscape, you'll find fulfillment and rejuvenation along the winter trails of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.  We hope to see you out there!

 

Tuning In and Keeping Track: An Introduction to Phenology

Can you recall the last morning that wasn't filled with birdsong? Do you remember when you first noticed the buds emerging on maple trees in your neighborhood? Which day in April did your ears perk up to hear the spring peepers? When was the very first snowfall last year?

If you find yourself noticing, contemplating, and wondering about the subtle shifts and patterns in seasonal happenings, phenology is your friend. There is comfort in marking time and tuning into our natural environment, especially in turbulent times like these, and phenology can offer a great way to do so. 

Phenology is a fancy term that means the study of cycles and seasonal natural events. The word is built of two parts: "pheno" (phaino in Greek), which means "to show, to bring to light, to make to appear" and "-logy" of the root "logos," which means "study, discourse, or reasoning." It was first used in a public lecture in Brussels by Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren in 1849.

However, phenological understandings have been fundamental to the human relationship with the land and environment. Indigenous peoples have used phenological knowledge in cultural, agricultural, and ecological practices for thousands of years. Here in Wisconsin, the College of Menominee Nation has recently created a Phenology Learning Path to honor the ways the Menominee have used nature's calendar to mark time and continue to track climate change impacts. 

In other locations, large scale changes over time have been tracked like in the Royal Meteorological Society's project that spanned 58 years of tracking of temperature and flowering events across the British Isles via 600 individual collectors from 1891-1948. Currently there are several networks collecting data via mostly volunteers in many countries, contributing to the understanding of climate change. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) maintains a database of observations collected by over 5,000 people who logged information on over 20,000 organisms and over 15,000 plants in 2020. It's fascinating to scroll through the lists of top animals and plants observed, and other information collected like initial growth in plants and migrating behavior. This information is referred to as phenophase data. For folks who enjoy diving deeply into data and data visualizations, this website has an amazing data visualization tool. 

For those of us who might appreciate a less formal approach, phenology in your own local habitat can be greatly rewarding. It can also be a fun activity to do with children. Start small and manageable, and you might be surprised at where this activity will take you in observing natural phenomena.

Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Choose something to observe that's personally interesting and readily available. It could be a bird species that visits your yard, a favorite tree, or a corner of the park with plants.

2. Set a plan to observe at least once a week. Daily would be ideal, but weekly observations will give you a great view of changes.

3. Find out a little more about the thing(s) you have chosen to observe. Species identification is a great first step, and if you can't figure it out by an internet search, reach out to a local naturalist as they love answering questions and sharing information.

4. Create a space to log your observations. This could be a file on your computer or phone, a simple notebook, or a blank calendar square. 5-year journals are easy to create using a template like this and a sturdy 2-inch, 3-ring binder. Since this calendar is organized by day, by the end of 5 years it allows users to see at a glance what was happening on that same date each year. 

5. Record your observations and some details about the weather or other important conditions you notice like time of day, activities around your focused area, and any changes you notice. If you have time or the ability to photograph or sketch your observation, this can add to your record.

6. Consider joining with others to share observations. The Nature's Notebook website hosted by the USA-NPN has several campaigns including monitoring bats, pollinators, and pests. Individual data is personally meaningful, but sharing it as a citizen scientist has the potential to create a volume of data that is relevant in tracking change over time. 

Aldo Leopold, widely considered to be the Father of wildlife ecology, was an avid phenologist. The Aldo Leopold Foundation creates a phenology calendar every year. Visit their resources more information about the 2021 calendar and the role that Leopold himself played in promoting phenology as a way of connecting with our environment. 

We are all phenologists to varying degrees in our own lives, noticing subtle changes across time in ourselves and in our environment. In a time where so much has changed and shifted in sudden ways, tuning our focus to the rhythms and patterns of the natural world can offer a steadying respite. The simple practices of phenology might provide new, welcoming, and interesting insights in the year ahead. 

Animals Toughing It Out: Resisting the Stresses of Winter to be Active, Part 2

                                    Guest post by KVR Instructor, Cathy Chybowski

            Photo of Ruffed Grouse Courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org                                 

Like animals that migrate or hibernate, animals that are active in the winter have evolved key adaptations that help them avoid or confront harsh conditions. An adaptation can simply be making use of fur, fat, or feathers. Mammals grow heavy undercoats and long hollow guard hairs to trap air for better insulation. Birds can fluff out their feathers or tuck their heads under their wings for warmth. A grouse spends the day foraging and filling its crop with food. Then it dives or burrows into deep snow, slowly digesting its food, warm beneath a blanket of snow.  

Animals living farther north tend to have larger bodies and smaller appendages. A large body loses heat more slowly than a small body. Shorter appendages radiate less heat than longer ones. Many animals living in the north turn white in winter. The obvious advantage is camouflage for both predator or prey. But another advantage is that white feathers and fur contain more air than pigment so provide better insulation than fur or feathers with color. In summary, it is better to be big and white in winter. Think polar bear! It has a large body, short ears, tail and legs, and white fur. It is perfectly adapted for living in a cold, snowy landscape.

Snow is a mixed blessing. For small mammals like voles, it can provide both insulation and protection from predators. For animals like deer, it can make travel difficult.

The meadow vole, sometimes called a field mouse, spends most of the winter under the snow in a system of tunnels leading to a communal nest. It is an exception to the “better to be big and white” rule.

Photo of Meadow Vole courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

To compensate for its small size and brown color, it actually loses weight before winter in order to reduce its need for food. Because it is an important part of the food web, it seldom ventures above the snow. Still, foxes and coyotes hear voles moving under the snow, jump up and down to collapse their burrows, trapping them and then retrieving them. Two to three months before the snow has melted, still snug and protected, voles begin to reproduce. A young female can mate at one month of age and produce as many as 17 litters per year with 5 or more young per litter. Look for the tracks of these small mammals on top of the snow or the quarter-sized entrance holes to their tunnels beneath the snow. As the snow melts, the topless tunnels reveal well-traveled runways beneath.

The white-tailed deer is an energy conservation specialist. Whenever possible, it does not expend more energy than it takes in. It grows a thick, woolly underfur and an outer fur with long hollow guard hairs for insulation and it relies on fat reserves built up in the warm months to fuel its activities in the winter. When the snow is deep, deer yard up and follow well worn paths to evade predators and conserve energy. Their digestive system changes to accommodate a change in diet—grazing in the warm months to browsing in the winter months due to the snow cover. When you are outside, look for deer browse, tracks, scat, beds, buck rubs, or antlers usually shed in late winter.

Photo of White-Tailed Deer Courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

As a group, birds face three obstacles to winter survival: cold temperatures, starvation, and predation. Birds have a higher metabolic rate and a higher body temperature than mammals, therefore making surviving the cold more difficult.The food supply is diminished and often unreliable. Snow can limit access to otherwise available food.  Predators are ever present.  Small birds like chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets, brown creepers and titmice join mixed flocks. More eyes reduce the possibility of a predator attack and broadens the search for food. Sometimes these flocks even roost together in a tree cavity, bluebird nest box, or other shelter. Some birds like blue jays, chickadees and nuthatches store food for later consumption and many birds frequent our feeders when the weather turns harsh or there is deep snow cover.

The black-capped chickadee is another exception to the “better to be big and white” rule. In order to maintain its body temperature in winter, it requires 20 times more food than in the summer.  How do they do it? Among the chickadee’s amazing physical feats is its ability to forage while hanging upside down and moving every which way, foraging for eggs and larvae of insects in bark crevices. Could this acrobatic method be an adaptation for winter feeding when snow covers the tops of branches, chickadees can still gather food from beneath?

Photo of Black-Capped Chickadee courtesy of EEK! Wisconsin: Environmental Education for Kids eekwi.org 

Unlike mammals, birds do not grow extra feathers for warmth in the winter.  Instead, they fluff their feathers to trap more air for added insulation, often tuck their heads under their wings, and huddle together under an evergreen bough with a snowy canopy.  

Aldo Leopold writes in A Sand County Almanac: “I suspect that in the chickadee Sunday School two mortal sins are taught: thou shalt not venture into windy places in winter, thou shalt not get wet before a blizzard.” Apparently a chickadee survives a frigid 16-hour night by doing lots of little things just right. As these tiny creatures wake with the sunrise, they begin foraging and this becomes the order of their day. By late afternoon they are “bulging with fat” which provides insulation. As the sun sets they lower their temperature as much as 15 degrees, settling into a nightly hypothermia, fluffing, tucking, and huddling till sunrise again, when the fat is depleted. Repeat. Repeat every 24 hours; it is a matter of survival. When you are out, listen for the chickadee’s voice and watch for their quick movements.

The next time you reach to turn the thermostat up, think about the challenges that animals face for winter survival and some of the amazing adaptations and strategies they have evolved to deal with them.

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We love the resources at EEK! Wisconsin, Environmental Education for Kids. They are hosting a live reading on December 2, 2020, at 10 AM CT, by author Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell from her book, Under the Mud, about 10 different animals and their winter survival adaptations. For more information or to register visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-edventure-read-aloud-under-in-the-mud-tickets-127366770439 This event would be great for students in grades 3-8, and it is free. Educators are encouraged to register for their classes. Homeschooling and schooling-at-home families might enjoy this, too!

How do they do it? Part 1

Guest post by KVR Instructor, Cathy Chybowski

As the days become shorter and the temperature drops, animals have three options in order to survive: migrate, hibernate or remain active. These strategies along with essential adaptations help animals to survive the cold season.   

 photo credit: freepik.com

Migration: An Easy Out?

Migration can be quite risky. The energy cost of migration is high and there can be many obstacles along the route. Most animals spend time in a feeding frenzy prior to migrating. This added fat will fuel their movement to an area with sufficient food. For hummingbirds, warblers, flycatchers and other birds that lose their food source with the onset of winter, migration is a necessary risk. Large bodies of water, a changing food supply, predators or hunting can make the trip challenging.

Did you ever wonder why it is mostly birds that migrate? Why so few mammals? According to Peter Marchand in his book, Life in the Cold, a mammal would expend ten times more energy moving a given distance by running than would a bird of equal weight flying that same distance. Bats and caribou are exceptions. For more information on bats and insects that migrate see a previous post I shared in August.

Hibernation? Dormancy? What is the difference?

Dormancy is one of the three strategies animals evolved for winter survival. It is a period of inactivity in which an animal’s bodily functions are slowed down. By definition, hibernation is an extreme form of dormancy. Woodchucks, bats and jumping mice are among the few mammals in our state to hibernate.  

 photo credit: WI DNR

As an herbivore, the woodchuck’s life is centered on the availability of plants. Feeding heavily during late summer into fall, it accumulates thick rolls of body fat and then retires to its burrow usually by the end of October. While hibernating, its heart rate drops from 75 beats to 4 beats per minute, its body temperature drops from 90 to 38 degrees, and it breathes once every 5 to 6 minutes. If the woodchuck can maintain this state of low metabolism for several months without freezing to death, it will usually emerge from its burrow during the first week of March (not like Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2). 

There are degrees of dormancy, from the true hibernation of the woodchuck at one extreme, to the deep sleep of bears and chipmunks, and to the short term sleep of skunks, opossums and raccoons. In all forms of dormancy, the metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy at a time when food is scarce.

   photo credit: bearstudy.org

Research shows that the black bear does not hibernate; its body does not undergo the drastic changes of a true hibernator. In order to prepare for its deep winter sleep, bears spend the fall in a feeding frenzy putting on several inches of body fat and growing a thicker fur. While in the den, the sow gives birth to 2-3 cubs which do not hibernate either. During this state of dormancy, the bear does not eat or drink, it does not produce waste and it does not lose bone or muscle mass despite the lack of exercise. How do they do it?  These unique adaptations are of interest to medical science. There is more to learn about black bears—how is it that they can survive a 5-month rest and fast and emerge from their den with a 99% survival rate?  Apparently there are few people willing to crawl headfirst into an active bear den in the winter to see just how cozy everything is in there!

    photo credit: WI DNR

Chipmunks spend much of the fall collecting seeds and nuts for storage in their underground burrow where they spend most of the winter in dormancy. The stored food gives them the option of waking and being active for a time; I was surprised to see a chipmunk out and about during a January thaw. No true hibernator could do this.

  photo credit: WI DNR

Unlike mammals, reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded. Their options for winter survival are few. Since their body temperature drops with the outside temperature, they will freeze to death if they do not hibernate or go dormant in some form. Most frogs and turtles hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the pond or lake. Wood frogs are an exception, burrowing under damp leaves and into the soft soil of the forest floor. The wood frog produces an antifreeze which prevents its cells from freezing. Much of the body fluids outside the cells will freeze as will the frog’s eyes and brain. Its heart and lungs will stop. This “frogsicle” looks lifeless, but with the arrival of spring, it thaws quickly and is the first frog to emerge from hibernation. It is no wonder that the first frog we hear calling in the early spring is the wood frog. When the ice recedes and the water warms to 46 degrees, these frogs begin to call for a mate.

Snakes, cold-blooded reptiles, generally hibernate in dens or burrows of other animals, sometimes in groups of mixed species.  These are called balls of snakes and it is an amazing thing to see in the spring as these reptiles emerge from their hibernaculum. I witnessed dozens of garter snakes emerging this way one time in southeastern Wisconsin. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Stay tuned for Part 2, Animals Toughing It Out, in the weeks to come!