Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Winter”
A dash of color can go a long way among the browns and grays of a long winter. With many trees losing their leaves, many of us are desperate for the vibrant green of Spring by the time it rolls around. Fortunately, if you know where to look, it can be relatively easy to find plants that are evergreen. This …
People who love the outdoors often march to the beat of their own drum. While that can make for excellent conversation, it can also make gift-giving a nightmare. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or a outdoorsy person in your life, these holiday gift ideas for nature lovers will help you get started. Below, you’ll find 12 holiday gift ideas that …
One of the best things about outside time in Winter is not having to worry about bugs that bite. After all, pesky critters like mosquitoes and horseflies are out of the equation. But can we say the same about ticks? As I found out the hard way, the common belief that ticks die off in winter is a misconception. In …
For those who don’t like bugs, winter is a great time to spend time outdoors. The usual biting insects are gone, and even ticks are less active. While insects have many clever ways of surviving winter, there are nonetheless a small number that stay active. These mind-blowing winter bugs are a real source of excitement for nature nerds like me, …
As the winter holidays approach, we are reminded of familiar, longstanding traditions. Even though they may be popular, they can also be mysterious. Where did they come from in the first place? One of my favorite examples is mistletoe. Between pop songs and Christmas carols, everyone seems to love the flirty thought of puckering up under the mistletoe. But what …
Summertime is always marked by an explosion of life. The air is filled with birdsong, flowers are blooming, and frogs sing from ponds and wetlands. Perhaps the busiest lives in summer, though, are invertebrates. These are small animals with no internal skeletons. They include things like spiders, insects, pillbugs, mites, and snails. For simplicity’s sake, bugs. But where do these bugs …
Part 1 – Winter is dangerous! Do you ever wonder how plants and animals survive the winter? It can be a brutal time of year in seasonal climates. While we’re wrapping ourselves up in blankets or bickering over the thermostat, the world outside is going into deep-freeze. We see sparse sunlight and shortening days, plummeting temperatures, biting winds, snow, and …
Strategies and adaptations All wildlife at higher elevations or latitudes face the challenge of adapting to winter. In part 1 of this post, we explored the challenges that wildlife faces during winter. To recap quickly: Food can be scarce! Starvation or lack of energy is a major survival risk for all kinds of wildlife—plant, animal, or otherwise. It gets cold. …
