December 25, 2011 - Christmas
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Christmas is just another day in nature. Animals don’t exchange presents. They don’t sit down to a feast of steaming hot food. In fact, Christmas can be a tough time. The halcyon days of autumn’s bounty are long gone. Cold winds and frigid temperatures make keeping warm a high priority. Food is scarce, but not all animals spend Christmas hunting for a meal. There are those animals that prepared ahead for winter. Bears are snug in a den, warmed by their body fat. Groundhogs and chipmunks are tucked away underground. Bats hang around their winter roosts while squirrels search out buried nuts. Snakes are in winter dens. Frogs are buried in mud or soil. Many birds are enjoying warmer weather farther south. Others roam fields and forests searching for Christmas treats. May the spirit of Nature bring you joy this Christmas.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.