12 ACRES IN OHIO

Preparing for Winter

By Robin Arnold

            The arrival of November means that winter is not far off. We fill our propane tanks or chop our firewood…maybe buy a new winter coat and a pair of warm mittens. Some of us pack up and head south for the winter. The rest of us weatherproof our windows and doors, check our furnaces and snow blowers, and go on about our daily routines.

            But it’s not just humans who must prepare for the long and sometimes brutal winter ahead. Nature has a winter plan for each of its wild inhabitants. Some will migrate thousands of miles to warmer southern climates, some will sleep the winter away, and some will remain active, just growing thick coats and eating more food to keep themselves warm.

            In Ohio, the woodchuck is one of the few “true hibernators”. As fall approaches woodchucks consume huge quantities of food and build up their body fat in preparation for their long deep sleep. They usually head underground in October or early November and hibernate the entire winter, emerging in February or March with the first signs of spring.  Their hibernation is an amazing method of winter survival—it is a deep comatose sleep in which the animal’s heart rate slows from 160 to 4 beats per minute, and its body temperature lowers by almost half.

            During times of dangerously cold temperatures, other mammals such as skunks, raccoons, opossums, and chipmunks will find shelter in a tree, log, or underground, and go into a temporary hibernation where they sleep for 4 or 5 days until the frigid temperature breaks.

            If you’ve ever wondered where the frogs go in winter when ice covers the ponds and streams, most of Ohio’s frogs hibernate on the bottoms of these bodies of water—except for the wood frog, that is. This frog burrows underground to hibernate, producing large amounts of proteins and sugars which keep cells from freezing and prevent dehydration. But, as the winter gets colder, 45 per cent of the frog’s body water turns to ice, its eyes and brain freeze solid, and its heart and lungs stop. The story doesn’t end there, though… with the arrival of spring, the warm rays of sunshine thaw not only ponds and streams, but also the little wood frog, which hops happily on its way, the first frog to emerge from hibernation.

            Snakes, turtles, and most other cold-blooded animals retire into burrows or holes where they remain inactive all winter. Some snakes weave together into a ball to insulate themselves.

            At its worst, winter can be a brutal and challenging time of the year—at its least, it’s an inconvenience getting out to work or to an appointment. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to sleep through it, and wake with the warm spring sunshine on your face.

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