Ecology

Lizzy Ryan
Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve

(12/2019) With the month of December comes celebration and rest. Celebration of the holidays, rest as a result of shorter days and longer nights. Strawberry Hill will be celebrating the Winter Solstice with an event on December 14. I have to admit, as the education coordinator, I was pretty overwhelmed when I first started researching the winter solstice and how I can incorporate it into a program for kids. I never thought about doing a winter solstice program before, nor have I really thought of it as being a holiday. But, through my research I realized how cool of a tradition it really is!

The winter solstice occurs between December 20-23. This year, it falls on December 21st. The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin word "sol" meaning sun and "sistere" meaning to stand still. This is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. After the winter solstice occurs, there is continuously more hours of daylight until the Summer Solstice arrives. After the summer solstice, the days begin to shorten again.

Historians date the winter solstice all the way back to a monument in Ireland - called Newgrange. Newgrange was constructed around 3200 BC - before the pyramids at Giza and Stonehenge were created. Newgrange is a large monument with several chambers inside. Most of the monument was used for burials. However, around the entrance to the monument is a "roofbox" which lets in special light on the day of the solstice. Because the chamber is sloped, the majority of the monument is dark for the whole year, except when light shines through the roofbox on the solstice. It appears as though the monument was planned around this beam of light, therefore showing the importance of the winter solstice to the people of that time. Historians are not sure why this civilization created such a structure. Some speculate that it may have been used for religious rituals.

The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia - a day to honor their agricultural god - around the day of the winter solstice. Some of the traditions that took place during Saturnalia inspired some of the Christian Christmas traditions people do to this day. During the festival of Saturnalia, work came to a standstill. People exchanged gifts, there were feasts, and parties. People decorated their homes with greenery. Sound familiar? Candles were a popular gift to give. Candles signified the promise of light with the solstice.

Then of course, there was the yule log. Ancient Germanic people would light a yule log to symbolize the return of light. The yule log would be lit each year using the ashes from the previous years’ log. This was thought to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.

What I like about the celebration of the solstice is its affinity for nature. The solstice celebrates the coming of longer days and the awakening of nature.

While we are all preparing for the awakening of nature and celebrating the winter solstice, many of our forest friends, too, are celebrating this month; celebrating by resting.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their own body temperature. They rely on the environment around them to regulate their temperature. Reptiles and amphibians cannot survive our winters out in the open. They must find a place to hibernate. When they hibernate, their metabolism drastically slows down, and they survive as a result of the energy stored that was collected in the spring and summer. Turtles will bury themselves under mud at the bottom of a pond or in the forest where they will survive from the little bit of oxygen that is in the mud. Frogs will bury deep into leaf litter, bury below the frost line, or find crevices to hibernate in.

Wood frogs are an amazing species because they have built-in anti-freeze. Their heart will stop beating, they stop breathing, and they don’t move. They appear dead. Ice forms around the outside of their cells and organs, instead of the inside. Once the weather starts to warm, they begin to thaw. Scientists are still studying how this process works.

Mammals

Some of our furry woodland friends hibernate in the winter while others are still quite active. Squirrels and chipmunks will spend the fall months gathering nuts to store somewhere safe for the winter. They will be less active in the winter than in the warmer months, but they do not hibernate. Some weasels will change their coat from brown to white in the winter for camouflage. Small mammals, like mice and voles, are still at work under the snow or leaf litter with an immense network of tunnels. Skunks and raccoons will find a den to rest for the winter, but they also, do not hibernate.

Opossums are a mammal species not quite adapted for our winters. With their bare feet, tail, and ears, they tend to get frostbite. They will seek some sort of shelter during the winter, but they do not hibernate.

However, groundhogs and bats hibernate. These species’ heartbeats slow dramatically, and their body temperature drops. Another mammal that comes to mind when hibernation is discussed is the bear. Bears rest in dens for the winter, mainly surviving off their fat stores. Females begin to den down while they are pregnant or with their young. Males den alone. Females will usually give birth in the den in January.

Birds

And what about the birds? We know that many species leave our area for the winter months, like many ducks and geese that move south. Hummingbirds fly south as do many birds of prey. However, many will stick around too. Winter is a great time to get a closer look at some of our bird species by setting up feeders. This gives us the chance to see the birds outside our windows. The species that will frequent feeders include the chickadee, blue jay, junco, cardinal, titmouse, nuthatch, finches, and many more. Barred, screech, barn, and great horned owls also stay here all winter. Snowy owls will make an appearance this far south if their food is scarce up north. Sometimes we may have the thrill of seeing wild turkeys too.

In short, December marks the start of the long winter ahead, but the solstice brings hope for sun and warmth again.

Enjoy December. Slow down, listen to your surroundings, celebrate, rest. Visit us at Strawberry Hill – take a hike, look for tracks, bring the kids, and join us as we enjoy the Winter Solstice! Come Celebrate the Solstice with us on December 14th! Pre-Register by visiting Strawberryhill.org.