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| Winter poses survival challenges for every species in Mid-Michigan |
Animals and plants have many strategies that help them survive the winter. Birds (and some bats and insects) migrate to warmer climates. Mammals develop thick winter fur to help them stay warm. Reptiles, amphibians, insects, and a few mammals reduce their metabolic rates and hibernate through the colder months.
Most non-woody plants die down to their roots. Deciduous trees shed their leaves to keep from dehydrating. Pines and other needle-leaf trees (except the Tamarack) have waxy coatings on their narrow leaves that allow them to retain their leaves through the winter.
Humans either stay indoors or if we go outside pile on more layers of clothes to mimic the layers of fur that our mammal relatives have.
To read about some of adaptations that help species survive in the winter check out these previous posts.
Chickadees in Winter
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