WINSTON WEEKLY©[1]

October 5, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 40

GATHERING, MIGRATION, AND HIBERNATION[2]

Fall is a fascinating time for our furry, feathered, and other animal friends. Squirrels slow down, fatten up, and hoard chestnuts, walnuts, and acorns. Their nests, known as dreys, consist of complex layers of twigs, moss, and leaves for insulation and shelter. Some squirrels have many nests that serve varied purposes.

Although squirrels prepare for hunkering down, Monarch butterflies from the United States and Canada fly up to 3,000 miles for winter in Mexican fir tree forests. The high-altitude forests of central Mexico provide the necessary humidity and temperature to extend survival and slow metabolism.

Ladybugs, essential for natural pest control in gardens and crops, gather after harvest by emitting chemicals to attract large groups. Often hunkered together in the winter, they go dormant in rock faces, crevices, garden sheds, barns, and even in houses. Huddling in clumps allows them to regulate moisture and temperature until spring when their primary food source returns.

Groundhogs often consume a pound of food daily in the summer to burrow and hibernate for up to five months beginning in October. During hibernation, their breathing slows to only five to ten breaths per minute, and they lose almost a quarter of their body fat.

Crane migration is prevalent in areas of Canada, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Northern Minnesota in October, although Texas, Oklahoma, and other states provide opportunities to view crane migration. If you live in those areas, turn off lights and avoid window clings during migration to allow for safe passage.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

If you could migrate or hibernate somewhere, where would it be? Consider what food you would store and what type of habitat you would make.

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2]Resources: www.rowe.audubon.org; www.savingcrane.org; Matthew Petchinsky, The Groundhog’s Wisdom: Timeless Lessons for Modern Life, Jan. 2025; Monika Maeckle, The Monarch Butterfly Migration: Its Rise and Fall, University of Oklahoma Press, Oct. 2024; Martha E. Ristad, Squirrels and Their Nests, Pebble Plus, Jan. 2006.