NATURE Notes
Every month there will be a new note about what to look for in the natural world during that month.
February - Frogs
Pictured: Nature Center's resident gray tree frog
Frogs in February?
Wintertime is the time that we think about hibernation, and usually we think of things like bears, chipmunks, bats, even groundhogs! But, what about some of our more cold-blooded animal friends? Different animals have different ways to help them get through the winter. Take frogs for example. In the midst of February it is extremely unlikely that you will come across a frog active anytime this month but they do not disappear, they are hunkered down for the cold. Some aquatic frogs like leopard frogs hang out under water all winter (below the ice, but not buried in mud) where they will slowly swim around. If we take a trek from the water onto land, we find other types of amphibians hibernating. The American toad has specially designed backed legs to dig and burrow down into the soil to wait out the cold winter months under the frost line. Some other smaller frogs that you can usually find on land here in Minnesota are ones like wood frogs, chorus frogs, spring peepers, and gray tree frogs. They do not have the adaptations to help burrow under soils so they have to settle for burying themselves underneath leaf litter as well as in cracks in the ground and in felled trees or logs. As you can imagine, the frost and frozen temperatures are not stopped by a mere 2 inches of leaves, nor does an old dead log provide protection from the freezing temperatures we are all accustomed to in the wintertime. How are the small, cold-blooded frogs supposed to survive the cold all winter long?
Believe it or not, the answer is antifreeze! The small terrestrial frogs that cannot escape the cold by burrowing under the frost line rely on a high concentration of glucose in vital organs to make sure that they do not freeze solid. The non-vital organs along with the rest of the body cavity will freeze completely through, ice crystals and all! The partially frozen frogs will not only stop breathing, but their heart will stop beating until the frog thaws back out. When a living creature stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and is frozen solid you would think it would be dead! Not these frogs! They just wait for the spring thaw when their heart and lungs defrost and can function again as if nothing ever happened.
Spring is about rebirth and for frogs, it sometimes means coming back from the dead! If you happen to come across a frog outside in your winter activities remember to leave it be. It is highly adapted for our Minnesota winters!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
Wintertime is the time that we think about hibernation, and usually we think of things like bears, chipmunks, bats, even groundhogs! But, what about some of our more cold-blooded animal friends? Different animals have different ways to help them get through the winter. Take frogs for example. In the midst of February it is extremely unlikely that you will come across a frog active anytime this month but they do not disappear, they are hunkered down for the cold. Some aquatic frogs like leopard frogs hang out under water all winter (below the ice, but not buried in mud) where they will slowly swim around. If we take a trek from the water onto land, we find other types of amphibians hibernating. The American toad has specially designed backed legs to dig and burrow down into the soil to wait out the cold winter months under the frost line. Some other smaller frogs that you can usually find on land here in Minnesota are ones like wood frogs, chorus frogs, spring peepers, and gray tree frogs. They do not have the adaptations to help burrow under soils so they have to settle for burying themselves underneath leaf litter as well as in cracks in the ground and in felled trees or logs. As you can imagine, the frost and frozen temperatures are not stopped by a mere 2 inches of leaves, nor does an old dead log provide protection from the freezing temperatures we are all accustomed to in the wintertime. How are the small, cold-blooded frogs supposed to survive the cold all winter long?
Believe it or not, the answer is antifreeze! The small terrestrial frogs that cannot escape the cold by burrowing under the frost line rely on a high concentration of glucose in vital organs to make sure that they do not freeze solid. The non-vital organs along with the rest of the body cavity will freeze completely through, ice crystals and all! The partially frozen frogs will not only stop breathing, but their heart will stop beating until the frog thaws back out. When a living creature stops breathing, its heart stops beating, and is frozen solid you would think it would be dead! Not these frogs! They just wait for the spring thaw when their heart and lungs defrost and can function again as if nothing ever happened.
Spring is about rebirth and for frogs, it sometimes means coming back from the dead! If you happen to come across a frog outside in your winter activities remember to leave it be. It is highly adapted for our Minnesota winters!
Author: Kelly Bahl - Teacher/Naturalist Intern
january - chickadees
Naturalist Sydney with a chickadee on her head.
How Do One of the Smallest Birds Survive Minnesota Winters?
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist
Black-capped chickadees may be one of the most easily recognizable birds both by their look and by their call: “chicka-dee-dee-dee”. However, did you know that chickadees are one of the smallest and hardiest birds that stays and faces Minnesota winters head on? Most people think about birds migrating south, moving to warmer locations, and living through the winter season in these areas. Have you ever considered how such a tiny bird like the chickadee manages to survive our harsh Minnesota winters?
One of my favorite classes to teach was about birds in the winter. Specifically chickadees because they have some great adaptations to survive the cold winter months. One of the chickadees adaptations is their memory. To demonstrate this to the students, we would take a handful of sunflower seeds and hide them outside before going on a birding hike, then we would have to come back 2 hours later and try to find all the seeds we hid. This activity opened the student’s eyes to how amazing chickadees memories are, because most of the students could not remember where they hid their seeds. Chickadees start to stash food in autumn to go back to on really cold and short days. Having extra stashes of food around is necessary for these birds since they are burning so much energy every day in order to keep their body temperature around 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, their half-inch coat of insulating feathers helps keep them warm. They fluff those feathers up at night to fill every inch of their roost cavities to keep out as much wind as possible. The most amazing adaptation is the fact that they have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia, which enables them to lower their body temperature about 12 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows them to conserve their fat storage and survive some of the coldest nights. Another great way to stay warm is to share a roost cavity and body heat with a fellow chickadee!
They flock together and hang out in the same place forming a social group of 6-10 birds during the daytime in the winter. One could see these social groups that chickadees form around feeders; sometimes nuthatches and downy woodpeckers will join these social groups which are called flocks. These flocks defend a territory of up to 20 acres and you can usually hear territory skirmishes surrounding the feeders. Listen for a “dee-dee” alarm sound when chickadees are defending their territory. There are many different communication sounds going on at your feeders, so get out there and listen!
Author: Sydney Weisinger – Teacher/Naturalist