Where the Wild Things Are in November: Nature's Winter Preparations

November brings dramatic changes as wildlife prepares for winter. Observations from the field:

• Snowy tree cricket – chirp rate slows with temperature. Count chirps in 15 seconds, add 37 = °F.
• Ruffed grouse – grows toe extensions (combs) doubling foot surface area for snow walking; shed in spring.

• Woolly alder aphids – cottony white covering; dispersing en masse resemble early snow flurries.

• Northern cardinal – molts into fresh feathers with gray tips, appearing duskier; tips wear off by March revealing bright red.
• Snowshoe hare & long-tailed weasel – develop white patches on feet/ears; fully white by December.

• Yarrow – second flowering done; basal leaves smell spicy, used historically for wound tea.

• Carpenter ants – stop egg-laying, move to protected winter sites (underground, hollow trees).
• Tamarack (larch) – only deciduous conifer; needles turn brilliant yellow-gold before dropping.

• Stonefly larvae – active in winter streams; adults bask on sun-warmed rocks in February.

• Gray squirrels – cache acorns/beechnuts over 7+ acres; recover ~80%.
• Fall webworms – leave silken tents, overwinter in bark flaps or leaf litter as cocoons.

• Crows – migrate from north, form massive communal roosts (200,000+ in Midwest tree lines).

Evening settles: fire laid, popcorn popping, woolens donned. A match strikes.

Further reading: Donald Stokes' Guide to Nature in Winter (1976).

By Henry Walters