Story and Photographs By Joan Herrmann

Whereiwander… the daylight is growing shorter, and nights are getting colder, all of which are signs for those who need to actively engage in preparing for a “long winter nap”. Many of these are Amphibians or Reptiles that are now searching and preparing for the harsh winter that lies ahead. Or hibernators that need to construct or find the perfect habitat. They may also need to “bulk up” or store away enough food to last for five to six months. Some species, such as Eastern Chipmunks, have actually been planning since they came out of their burrows this past spring and have worked throughout the summer months gathering seeds, nuts, and a multitude of food to fill their storage areas. Chipmunks are not true hibernators and will not sleep throughout the winter. They experience several cycles of semi-torpidity (inactivity) throughout the winter. Their body temperature and breathing are significantly reduced until they resume a state of activity. When they become active they will eat and also eliminate body waste, but they do not leave their burrows. Each burrow is segmented into different chambers, and each has a different purpose. These include nesting, resting, toileting, and additional food caches. Their burrows may be three feet below ground, and tunnels may be thirty feet in length. Chipmunks are omnivores, and their food caches may include beechnuts, corn kernels, nuts, berries, mushrooms, beetles, grasshoppers, mice, newts, frogs, and even garden bulbs. Also, if we should have a mild winter spell, usually one or more chipmunks may come foraging for food to replenish their supplies.

Hibernation is only one of many forms of winter survival. A true hibernator will not eat, drink, or eliminate bodily wastes. A true hibernator’s body temperature will drop, and their heart rate will plunge. In addition, they may lose as much as twenty to forty percent of their body weight. Hibernators are warm-blooded mammals. Cold blooded animals experience a dormancy known as Brumation. In our area, this will include reptiles such as snakes, lizards, and turtles. It also includes amphibians like salamanders, toads, and some species of frogs. Bullfrogs, Green Frogs and Leopard Frogs will spend their time of brumation in the mud on the bottom of ponds and streams. While Wood Frogs, Spring Peepers, and Gray Tree will freeze solid and not awaken until spring’s warmth and longer daylight hours occur. Brumation differs from hibernation in that reptiles or amphibians may wake to drink water and then return “to sleep”; also, they may go months without food.

Both hibernation and brumation are triggered by the lack of warmth and decreased daylight hours.

Black Bears have been “bulking Up” and storing body fat that will be burned for energy throughout their hibernation and there will be little loss of muscle. Hibernation for bears may last seven months. During this time, they will not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. Their metabolism decreases by fifty percent, and their heart rate and breathing are both greatly reduced. Their dense fur will provide immense warmth, and their body temperature drops only a few degrees, even during extreme cold. The female bear will most often begin her hibernation in late October. She may den up with this year’s cubs if she has some and they will stay with the mother for about eighteen months. If she doesn’t have cubs but has mated the previous spring, she will den up alone, and her new cubs will be born while she is in hibernation. The male bears will begin their hibernation in late November or early December. A bear den is seldom a cave. It may be only a protected area where it will remain undisturbed. The den may consist of a pile of brush, an uprooted tree, or a hollow tree. The bedding may be as simple as leaves, grasses, and twigs.

Even though many critters are doing extreme planning for the winter there are numerous critters which may be seen throughout even the coldest days of winter. The most frequently seen are those of the carnivore family such as foxes, coyotes and possibly wolves. These mammals have adapted to withstand the frigid conditions and will find prey among those that are not dormant. There are several herbivores that are also active in winter which include snowshoe hares and porcupines. The porcupines are exceptionally well adapted to withstand both cold and harsh weather. They have five different types of hair on their bodies one of which is a wooly under fur which insulates them in winter. Another type of hair consists of long guard hairs that are sensitive to touch and aid this extremely near-sighted animal, to be able to maneuver on the high canopy branches. A third type of hair is its stout whiskers, known as vibrissae, located near their nostrils and is thought to be sensitive to touch. The fourth hairs are the short stiff bristles on the underside of the tail that help, with stability as it climbs up trees, and the fifth hairs are the approximately thirty thousand quills. Porcupines are usually solitary animals and their movements vary seasonally with food supplies. In summer their home ranges may be traveling throughout several hundred acres for food; whereas in winter they may be confined to just a few acres. Winter food for porcupines are the twigs and buds of maples, beech, oak, cherry, basswood, willow and aspen trees as well as the needles of hemlock and spruce. Much of its winter is spent high in the branches where it nips off the twigs and eats the tender buds and needles and then drops the twigs to the ground below. Unfortunately this type of diet causes a high amount of potassium in its winter diet and causes problems because when their liver flushes the potassium from its body, it creates a loss of salt. To rectify the salt lost the porcupine will seek salt from many sources. Human perspiration contains salt so things which we have handled such as the handles of rakes, shovels and hammers, if left unattended, may be found and chewed by porcupines. Winter road salt that collects on car tires and wiring, in addition to wooden stairs are all source. To rectify the problem a salt block has worked for us.

Joan Herrmann has taught and done programs for Schools, Garden Clubs, Libraries, and Nature Centers for about 38 years as a Professional Nature Photographer, Naturalist, and Outdoor Educator. After moving from the Rochester area in 1995, she began her Photography business, Essence of Nature, and became a co-owner of The Artworks in Old Forge, New York. As a docent at Munson, Williams, Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, New York, she has been educating children and adults for nineteen years.

In 2007, she began working with the Black River Outdoor Educational Program (BROEP). In 2013 and 2014, she did a week-long summer program at BROEP with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC).

Using her love of nature and photography, she created a Flora/Fauna outdoor educational program teaching students (ages 6 to 14) the joys of nature and creative photography skills.

Joan’s love of nature has been a lifelong study of Birds, Wildflowers, Mosses, Ferns, Trees, Amphibians, Reptiles, Grasses, Insects, Spiders, Tracks, Scat, and Galls. She has assisted in cataloging all trails used by the hiking Coaches and photographed and identified seasonal Flora.

Since October 2016, she has written a bi-monthly nature column with Adirondack Express Newspaper. In October 2019, she began a bi-monthly column with the My Little Falls newspaper. You may reach her at jmhphoto8442@gmail.com.