Story and Photos by Joan Herrmann
Whereiwander… for those of us who live in the North Country, we have learned to adapt to the rigors of frigid weather, and so have our critters. For us, wood stoves and fireplaces, warm clothing, and snow tires are just a few of the things that are important for a comfortable winter’s rest. Also, a well-stocked pantry is extremely important, as well as lanterns, candles, flashlights, and batteries. For the critters, there are many different stages or levels of survival; which include hibernation, diapause, brumation, torpidity, and migration.
A true hibernator will not eat, drink, or eliminate waste, and their body temperature and heart rate will drop. During this time, they may lose as much as twenty to forty percent of their body weight. Hibernators are warm-blooded mammals. There is another type of winter survival that the cold-blooded critters experience, which is called brumation. Both reptiles (snakes, lizards, and turtles) and amphibians (toads, salamanders, and some frog species, which include bullfrogs, green frogs, and leopard frogs) are among those that brumate for the winter. During brumation, some of these critters may awaken to drink water but can go months without food. Both hibernation and brumation begin once there is a lack of heat and daylight hours are reduced.
The Eastern Chipmunks are among the smaller mammals that do not sleep but 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 waste but do not leave their burrows. Each burrow is segmented into different chambers, and each has a different purpose. These include nesting, resting and toileting, and additional food caches. Their burrows may be three feet below ground and have tunnels that may be thirty feet in length. Chipmunks are omnivores, and their food caches may include beechnut, corn kernels, nuts, berries, mushrooms, beetles, grasshoppers, mice, newts, frogs, and garden bulbs. I am pretty sure that the chipmunks that reside on our property also have an ample supply of unsalted peanuts and plenty of black-oiled sunflower seeds. If we should have a mild spell in winter or early spring, I can usually see one or more chipmunks foraging for food to replenish their food supply.
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 only drops 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 only be 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.
While many will sleep the winter away, there are some critters that can be seen throughout the entire winter. Many of those that are of the carnivore family, such as foxes, coyotes, and wolves, will be awake and hunting throughout the winter. They 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; among them are snowshoe hares and porcupines.
The porcupines are extremely well adapted to both cold and harshness. They have five different types of hair on their bodies, including dark and wooly underfur, which insulates them in winter. A second type of hair consists of long guard hairs that are sensitive to touch and aid’ this extremely near-sighted animal to maneuver on the high canopy branches. A third hair type 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 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 maple, 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, eats the tender buds and needles, and then drops the twigs to the ground below. Nipping allows them to get the tender parts without having to climb onto branches that might not hold their weight. The high amount of potassium in the winter diet of a porcupine causes problems because when the liver flushes the potassium from its body, it also creates a loss of salt. To rectify the salt loss, the porcupine will seek salt from many sources.
Human perspiration contains salt, so things that 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 sources for salt-seeking porcupines. If this has been a problem for you, too, you may want to purchase a salt block from a farm store to remedy that problem. It has worked for me and also several friends.
Looking forward to seeing you on the winter trails where you wander.
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.