How did the reserve’s invertebrates make it through last week’s freezing weather?
Continue reading “Anti-freeze”Anti-freeze
Winter terminology
We use the words overwinter, hibernation, and diapause when we are writing about the reserve’s inhabitants’ preparations for the cold weather. It’s easy to assume that they are interchangeable terms but that is not so: let’s take a closer look.
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Where have all the wasps gone?
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Equinox
Continue readingField vole
Our field voles (Microtus agrestis) are having a winter break from their long breeding season. They don’t hibernate; instead they grow a thick, very dense coat to shield them against the cold, and their metabolic rate almost doubles in order to maintain their body temperature.
Continue reading “Field vole”Terminology
At this time of year, writing about the reserve’s inhabitants, we use the words overwinter, hibernation, and diapause a lot. It’s easy to assume that they are interchangeable terms but that is not so: let’s take a closer look.
Continue reading “Terminology”
Winter bees
There are at least two wild honey bee nests in the reserve, high up in hollow old trees. Here is a short video that shows how the bees are adapting their colony and their behaviour to the demands of winter.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 