Debby Luquette
Adams County Master Gardener
(11/23) Last March as the pandemic lockdown went into effect, I wrote that a good activity to fill the time usually spent bustling from one activity to the next would be getting to know the creatures that call our backyards home. Hopefully some of us got to know these wild neighbors better, or for the first time. With the change in seasons, many of them are saying goodbye until next year. We probably know that the hummingbirds left in September to overwinter in Mexico and Central America, crossing the Gulf of Mexico to get there. Monarchs
fluttered off to their fir forest in Mexico a bit later. How about some of the others?
One warm late October morning as I was walking by a clump of profusely flowering Mountain Mint, I saw a number of Buckeye butterflies nectaring. My first thought was that I was watching them grouping to mate, but I was wrong! They were fueling up for their migration! It turns out that monarchs are not the only butterflies to migrate to warmer climes for the winter, though monarchs are champions for distance covered. These Buckeyes were headed south to winter where they won’t encounter freezing temperatures. Related butterflies, known as Painted
Ladies, were also on the Mountain Mint. They usually stay locally but don’t survive the winter. Their numbers are replenished from southern populations migrating northward for the summer.
And those cute little Ladybugs? Maybe you aren’t finding them all that cute now as they move into your house for the winter. I’m watching them congregate in the ceiling corners of my kitchen and thinking that it’s better them than stinkbugs. ladybugs and many other insects congregate in large aggregations in the fall, increasing their chances of surviving freezing temperatures. If ladybugs don’t come into the house, garage or shed, they will look for a spot – crevices in rocks, under tree bark or in tree knots – that doesn’t freeze, has some
humidity and room to cluster. They will use manmade winter shelters when available; these can be made or purchased.
Many other insect species survive the winter as larvae, pupae or dormant adults. If they were living in a field or woods that we humans haven’t developed, they might be found in plant stems, in the ground or in the leaf litter. Several of them overwinter in our gardens, and this is one good reason to avoid the temptation to clean up the garden before March. And when you visit your winter garden, you might be surprised to observe how the winter light and shadow creates interest with the stark stems and seed heads that are covered with frost,
snow and ice. If you must tidy things, loosely bundle the flower stems, tie them together like corn shocks, and stand them in the garden.
How about some of the other garden creatures? Last year I noticed a toad had taken up residence in garden near the bird bath we have placed on the ground. We moved it to the ground after realizing that, besides birds, other animals like raccoons, opossums, and our toad can use it, too. Toads should be welcome garden residents since they prey on insects, some of which damage the plants we enjoy. (If your yard is visited by cats, place the bird bath away from vegetation that can conceal cats, and if possible, near safe perches for the birds.)
Toads are cold-blooded (poikilotherms, in science-speak), meaning they adjust their metabolism to the surrounding temperature, but they cannot survive freezing. Like other amphibians and reptiles, they hibernate, purposely slowing their activity and becoming inactive while food isn’t available. As fall temperatures signal that winter is on the way, toads eat more. When they are ready to bed down, they dig themselves backside first into the ground to reach a depth below the frost line, sometimes up to 20 inches. As the soil warms in spring, they
revive and come to the surface to join in a chorus of mating toads.
Among the mammals with which we’ve shared our backyard, one of the more interesting is the Big Brown Bat (4-5 inches long), which flies at dusk as they search for insect prey. They are especially good insect predators, capable of eating 25% of their weight each night, and should be encouraged. Sometimes they’ll decide your attic or barn is a good summer daytime roost, but they rarely interact with the humans. If you wish to discourage them from roosting in your structures, you can buy or build a ‘bat house’ for their summer use.
These bats hibernate in small groups in the winter, usually in a cave, or another subterranean hideaway. They are warm-blooded (homeotherms), so they need a place with a constant cool temperature to slow their metabolism while their prey is scarce. If there is a sudden warming during the winter, it isn’t uncommon for bats to be seen flying. Their population is smaller now, due to a fungal disease called white nose syndrome, which causes the affected animal to wake up frequently during winter hibernation. An affected bat burns its fat stores too
quickly, but cannot feed because there are few or no insects.
These are only a few of the animals which share our backyard with us. I certainly haven’t got the space to tell you about half of them! If you are curious and stuck inside this winter, check out life history facts about some of your garden friends. When spring and summer come again, you’ll welcome these neighbors, knowing them better.
Read other winter related gardening articles
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