Have you ever wondered how plants and wildlife survive winter? How does a frog keep warm and what do birds do on cold and windy days with little sunlight? How do Ruffed Grouse stand on top of the snow? This time of year is a great opportunity to spend some time reading to learn about the fascinating world of winter adaptations.
For a narrative observational read, Bernd Heinrich’s Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival is a great option. Heinrich’s scientific prose and artful observational skills help draw connections to the world outside our door. Heinrich describes the beauty of abandoned songbird nests, adaptations found in golden crowned kinglet feathers, and illustrations of mice feeding on bark under snow. You will even learn about some of the animals that can tolerate freezing of their body and those that contain special antifreeze like compounds to help them survive! Interspersed within each chapter are charming illustrations by the author.
If you are looking for more technical explanations of thermoregulation in animals or the relationships between density and temperature of water, consider reading Life in the Cold: An Introduction to Winter Ecology by Peter J. Marchand. The latest fourth edition of this book contains excellent graphical depictions of many of the processes that occur in plants, animals, and water during the colder months. There is also discussion of the chemistry, physical composition, and behavior of snow and ice. The evergreen advantage is a fascinating section of the book that highlights the ways in which evergreen trees may have the ability to photosynthesize during the winter months.
Both books also bring up important vocabulary terms associated with winter ecology that are often unknown to most readers such as subnivian, thermoregulation, and non-shivering thermogenesis. Learning about these topics is both eye opening and emphasizes the amazing processes that occur all around us. Next time you are out on a winter hike or walk, you may feel more inclined to observe the changes and adaptations around you and appreciate the miraculous events that are occurring under the ice or snow.
If either or both of these titles seem like they would be of interest to you, consider borrowing from a friend or a local library. If you’d like to have your own copy, try to support small businesses and bookstores, or online used book vendors.