As you know, New Hampshire gets cold in the winter, sometimes very cold. It snows here, sometimes it snows very much. Animals that are native to the area, therefore, must develop strategies to survive the cold and to find food when everything is buried beneath three feet of snow, as it is now.
Many things simply hide themselves away in the warmest place they can find and wait it out. Insects, for the most part, are among those that simply wait for spring. As we've previously mentioned, lightning bugs may burrow as deeply as they can into the rough bark of trees for shelter. If we search carefully, we can find them there. Others take advantage of man's ability to control the environment. The Asian Lady Beetle and the Western Conifer Seed Bug may have burrowed into tree bark in their warmer native environments, but after migrating here to the much colder Northeast, they burrow into the cracks and crevices of the woodwork of our houses. Sometimes, they find a way all the way inside and we may find an active one or two inside the house in the dead of winter.
Some insects burrow into the ground and rely on the natural antifreeze compounds in their bodies to keep from turning into ice cubes. June Bug grubs, Japanese Beetle grubs and a number of others fall into this category.
Chipmunks hunker down in their burrows and truly hibernate through the winter. Chipmunks and some other rodents are known as obligate hibernators. That is to say they have a built-in need to hibernate seasonal regardless of whether there is still food available. Their body temperatures drop quite low, and body temperature and heart rate slow along with all their other metabolic processes.
Some animals, like the black bear, go into a more shallow form of hibernation when the weather gets cold and food becomes scarce. They also experience a drop in body temperature, but the drop is much smaller. They are less deeply asleep, and may even be roused during hibernation. While their hibernation differs from that of deep sleepers like chipmunks, they are still classified as hibernators.
Hibernation means that the animal in question suppresses its normal metabolism to much lower rates, enabling it to go long periods without the intake of food and to survive in harsh conditions. Some lower their metabolic rates more than others, but that is simply a matter of degrees within the spectrum of hibernation.
Other animals are still able to find food during the winter and remain active throughout the year. White-tailed deer, many birds, the gray squirrel, the snowshoe hare, and the coyote, for example, can be found roaming the woods and hills of New Hampshire even in the coldest of winters.
Some, particularly many species of birds, simply go away to where the weather is less severe. Migratory birds such as the Canada Goose and most warblers fit into this category. We've all heard of birds flying south for the winter, but it is less commonly known that for some birds that live even further north, the New Hampshire is a gentle enough winter climate for them to comfortably overwinter when compared to their breeding ranges. This means that during the winter months in New Hampshire, it is possible to find some species that are not commonly found here during the summer.
Some undertake a much lesser migration, remaining in the same latitude, but heading to more hospitable winter habitat. Many woodland ducks fall into this category. The Common Loon, Wood Duck, and Mallard Duck all fall into this category. Moving from the inlands ponds, lakes and rivers where they spend the warmer months to the seaside for the winter. They require open water in which to feed, so they head to the only open water that is guaranteed not to freeze in this climate, the ocean.
Even though we are in the very heart of winter, we can still find new species, even some that aren't here during the rest of the year.
Many things simply hide themselves away in the warmest place they can find and wait it out. Insects, for the most part, are among those that simply wait for spring. As we've previously mentioned, lightning bugs may burrow as deeply as they can into the rough bark of trees for shelter. If we search carefully, we can find them there. Others take advantage of man's ability to control the environment. The Asian Lady Beetle and the Western Conifer Seed Bug may have burrowed into tree bark in their warmer native environments, but after migrating here to the much colder Northeast, they burrow into the cracks and crevices of the woodwork of our houses. Sometimes, they find a way all the way inside and we may find an active one or two inside the house in the dead of winter.
Some insects burrow into the ground and rely on the natural antifreeze compounds in their bodies to keep from turning into ice cubes. June Bug grubs, Japanese Beetle grubs and a number of others fall into this category.
Chipmunks hunker down in their burrows and truly hibernate through the winter. Chipmunks and some other rodents are known as obligate hibernators. That is to say they have a built-in need to hibernate seasonal regardless of whether there is still food available. Their body temperatures drop quite low, and body temperature and heart rate slow along with all their other metabolic processes.
Some animals, like the black bear, go into a more shallow form of hibernation when the weather gets cold and food becomes scarce. They also experience a drop in body temperature, but the drop is much smaller. They are less deeply asleep, and may even be roused during hibernation. While their hibernation differs from that of deep sleepers like chipmunks, they are still classified as hibernators.
Hibernation means that the animal in question suppresses its normal metabolism to much lower rates, enabling it to go long periods without the intake of food and to survive in harsh conditions. Some lower their metabolic rates more than others, but that is simply a matter of degrees within the spectrum of hibernation.
Other animals are still able to find food during the winter and remain active throughout the year. White-tailed deer, many birds, the gray squirrel, the snowshoe hare, and the coyote, for example, can be found roaming the woods and hills of New Hampshire even in the coldest of winters.
Some, particularly many species of birds, simply go away to where the weather is less severe. Migratory birds such as the Canada Goose and most warblers fit into this category. We've all heard of birds flying south for the winter, but it is less commonly known that for some birds that live even further north, the New Hampshire is a gentle enough winter climate for them to comfortably overwinter when compared to their breeding ranges. This means that during the winter months in New Hampshire, it is possible to find some species that are not commonly found here during the summer.
Some undertake a much lesser migration, remaining in the same latitude, but heading to more hospitable winter habitat. Many woodland ducks fall into this category. The Common Loon, Wood Duck, and Mallard Duck all fall into this category. Moving from the inlands ponds, lakes and rivers where they spend the warmer months to the seaside for the winter. They require open water in which to feed, so they head to the only open water that is guaranteed not to freeze in this climate, the ocean.
Even though we are in the very heart of winter, we can still find new species, even some that aren't here during the rest of the year.
