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winter

Hibernation: How It Works

February 4, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Black bear mother and cubs denning courtesy National Park Service Mammals and birds are endotherms, which means they generate their own body heat through relatively high metabolic rates. That high metabolism requires energy, which these animals garner from food. We typically think of endotherms as warm-blooded; however, some of them are not warm all of the time.

Most active birds and mammals maintain relatively high and stable body temperatures – often around 100 degrees. But they also lose heat to the surrounding environment, especially during the cold winter months. [Read more…] about Hibernation: How It Works

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: black bears, nature, Science, small mammals, Wildlife, winter

Hair Ice and Frost Flowers

February 4, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

TOS_FrostFlowersIf you are out walking on a winter morning, you might be lucky enough to see some of nature’s most beautiful and ephemeral sights: hair ice and frost flowers, both snow-white and delicate against the dull forest floor. [Read more…] about Hair Ice and Frost Flowers

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: fungi, ice, Native Plants, nature, Wildlife, winter

Museums, Historical Societies: Be Prepared for Winter

February 2, 2023 by Erika Sanger Leave a Comment

trees in winter courtesy MANYI admit to being one of those people who perhaps overly prepares for winter in Upstate New York. We have a generator for our 200-year-old home because we live in a place where the power goes out. I have a “winter bag” with blankets, flashlight, water, and granola bars as well as a very large brush and ice scraper in my car.

In the Museum Association of New York office in Troy, we keep extra jackets on hand and cover the windows with plastic to hold back wind blowing off the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Museums, Historical Societies: Be Prepared for Winter

Filed Under: Arts, History, Nature Tagged With: Disaster Management, Municipal Historians, Museum Association of New York, Museums, Public History, winter

Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures

January 21, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

psychrophilesWe humans tend to cringe at winter temperatures. We put on extra layers, crank up the thermostat, and wait impatiently for the tell-tale drip of spring thaw. However, there are plenty of tiny organisms all around us that aren’t just biding their time; they’re thriving in the bitter cold. If you could listen to as well as watch them under a microscope, you wouldn’t hear a single complaint about the temperature.

Psychrophiles, literally “cold lovers,” are organisms adapted to live at extremely cold temperatures. These are single-celled life forms, most often bacteria, but also blue green algae, yeasts, and fungi that can grow at temperatures as low as -13 degrees. [Read more…] about Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Wildlife, winter

The Time to Prune Trees is Now

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

tree pruning (photo courtesy DEC_Care and maintenance of trees ensures their health life and minimizes liability. Trees can be damaged by high winds, snow, ice, and other severe weather events. Some damage requires immediate attention, while other damage may be dealt with later. [Read more…] about The Time to Prune Trees is Now

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Forestry, gardening, Landscape Architecture, nature, trees, winter

Consequences of Feeding Deer in Winter

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

whitetail deer courtesy DECIt may be tempting to feed deer to “help” them through the winter. However, feeding whitetail deer during the winter or other times of the year is unnecessary, prohibited in New York State, and can have very negative consequences for deer, your neighbors, and surrounding wildlife habitat. [Read more…] about Consequences of Feeding Deer in Winter

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: gardening, nature, whitetail deer, Wildlife, winter

Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks

January 20, 2023 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

Conifers in winter courtesy Wikimedia user Olga ErnstIn winter, when temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit, especially if they fall precipitously, things go bump in the night. Frozen lakes and ponds emit ominous groans, snaps and booms that reverberate through the ice. Wood siding and old knee joints might creak. And if soil moisture is high and snow cover sparse, the soil can freeze deeply, causing the earth to shift in a harmless, localized cryoseism, or “frost quake” that produces a nerve-rattling bang. [Read more…] about Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: ice, nature, trees, Wildlife, winter

Diapause & Insect Winter Inactivity

January 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack lake ice during a winter thawThe unseasonably mild conditions we have been experiencing this winter has been unusual, but is not unprecedented. In the past, there have been numerous bouts of warm weather and limited snowfalls that have produced similar periods when the ground became bare and the temperatures frequently rose above freezing. [Read more…] about Diapause & Insect Winter Inactivity

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature Tagged With: Climate Change, ice, insects, snow, Wildlife, winter

Ice Fishing Safety Tips

January 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

ice fishing (DEC Photo)Much of New York is experiencing a milder than usual winter leading to unsafe ice conditions on most waters, please be extra cautious when heading out for a day of ice fishing. [Read more…] about Ice Fishing Safety Tips

Filed Under: History Tagged With: fishing, ice, ice fishing, winter

Inside A Beaver Lodge in Winter

January 13, 2023 by Tom Kalinowski 1 Comment

beaver lodge

Throughout the autumn, when the water around its primary lodge remains open, the beaver (Castor canadensis) scours the shore near and far in search of those select woody plants on which it relies for food. These items are severed at their base and floated to the area just outside the main entrance to the family’s winter shelter and then pushed underwater as deep as possible.

Like many rodents, the beaver assembles a sizeable cache of food for use in winter when travel conditions become limited. Additionally, this rather rotund mammal develops deposits of fat that help to insulate it against the cold and can be used to fuel its internal energy needs. [Read more…] about Inside A Beaver Lodge in Winter

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: beavers, nature, Wildlife, winter

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