discover nature

When winter winds chill us to the bone, we bundle up in sweaters, down vests and fleece parkas. Wild animals, on the other hand, must endure the cold.A mammal’s fur and its thick layers of fat provide insulation that conserves body heat.

Grab your coat, scarf and gloves and get outside to take in the true sounds of the season. We often think of winter as a quiet time in nature. Chilling winds suppress any desire to wander outside, but the sounds of winter are waiting to be heard -- if you choose to brave the cold.

Your car’s headlights reflect bright red eyes from a hunchbacked form ambling across the road. The black mask and ringed tail identify it as a raccoon, the “curious nighttime prowler.”

Throughout history, owls have established a solid place in storytelling. Today, we appreciate owls for their role in the environment and for their enjoyable calls.

You might steal a kiss under its green branches, but in nature, mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches to and steals nutrients from trees.

While on the road this holiday season, be on the lookout for these roadside dive-bombers: American kestrels.

Our most common native evergreen is the eastern red cedar, a cone-shaped juniper with a spicy yuletide aroma. It's prickly, scale-like leaves are quite different from those of spruce, fir, or pine. But it's symmetrical shape and fresh scent make cedar a yuletide choice.

Blue jays are relatively large songbirds (about the size of a robin) with blue upperparts and whitish underparts. A blue crest on the head can be raised or lowered depending on the bird’s mood.

As you drive country highways, it sometimes seems that hawks are everywhere -- perched on telephone poles and fence posts or circling overhead.

If you venture out near the woods after dark, you might hear the high-pitched cry of a flying squirrel.