Many of the gifts we receive during the holiday season are to keep us warm during the harsh winter. Fleece, scarves, gloves, and flannel give us protection. Hot cocoa, soothing tea, a bountiful meal with friends and family provide comfort and sustenance. As winter grows longer, the deeper we go into our homes for shelter. The other kind of Pennsylvania residents, the wildlife among us, don’t have such things.
These animals have three options: migrate, hibernate, or stay active. Those that are active face dire circumstances. The same frigid cold, blowing winds, cold rain, snow and ice we face every day. Some of which may keep us from work, social times, and school, but our little friends face as well with little or no comfort.
Their only recourse is to find quality habitat which make the difference between perishing or surviving until spring. Some animals find protection in rock walls, brush piles, downed wood, or underground. For many though, evergreens often provide the best winter, or thermal, cover. Pines, hemlocks, spruces, and even rhododendrons protect birds and other mammals from the wind, snow and ice, as they keep their leaves and needles throughout the winter.
It is common for example to find black-capped chickadees taking refuge in conifer foliage with their heads tucked under their wings to conserve energy. Ruffled grouse, woodcocks, and wild turkey, and rabbits will seek refuge there too.
For the homeowner, there are a few things to consider not doing right now. Keep low hanging branches of evergreens, especially if they touch the ground. These are valuable places of protection. Consider keeping bunches of ornamental grasses too. They tend to stay upright and in clumps providing a good source of shelter. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to remove brush piles either. What you can do is take a few moments in the dead of winter to look for signs of life. Appreciate what you have to keep you warm and look for ways to sustain our outside friends.
The Penn State Master Gardeners have the free publication “Landscaping for Wildlife: Trees, Shrubs, and Vines” call 570-963-6842 or email us at LackawannaMG@psu.edu for a copy.
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County
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Steve, Thanks for reminding us to care for our little animal friends. In these busy times we tend to act first and think later.
ReplyDeletei have 32 large pines and have left all my butterfly bushes untrimmed till the spring also have a small brush pile i have out several feeders and was rewarded with a pair of cardnials the oter day the males bright red plumage against the snow was amazing.i have a question.i have a cut pine treee that hasnt even started dropping needles i was going to put it in the yard for bird shelter if i keep it in water will it keep going?i figure the waters going to freeze any thoughts
ReplyDeletethats 2 not 32 sorry typo
ReplyDeleteI've been diligent about keeping my suet feeders full this winter. And I'm also 'growing' a brush pile near my compost bin. It's a good place to put deadwood so I'm sure I'll be able to add to it in the spring. And I'm hoping that, samll as it currently is, it will provide shelter for some of my local outdoor friends!
ReplyDeleteHi, Joel. It sounds like you're a good friend to the wildlife around you! About your Christmas tree: I'm glad to hear that your fresh-cut tree has held up so well! However, you are right... if you put it outside in a bucket of water, the water will freeze and the tree won't benefit. You're better off just putting the tree outside, near a bird feeder if you have one that doesn't have a lot of natural cover nearby. You can leave it upright if you can make it stable (possibly tying it to another tree). If not, just rest it on its side. If you're ambitious, you can 'decorate' the tree with food for wildlife: cut a suet cake into pieces and tie the pieces to branches; put peanut butter on some pinecones, roll them in bird food and tie them to branches. I use 'tie' loosely: if you have twist-ties that are long enough, you can use them. It doesn't have to be string. You'll be seeing LOTS of activity in your yard when you set out a feast like this for our small friends!
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