Mother Nature played "gotcha" this week with snow showers.
People were excited by the appearance of snow, since many thought the season had slipped out the gate for the year. Not so. Winter is definitely not over.
I hear a lot of people questioning, "do you think we'll pay for all these warm days?" One never pays for a good day from Mother Nature. It is a gift freely given. A too warm winter, and several too warm winters in a row, is a different story. Records show that 2006 was the hottest on record. What is the harm?
Wildlife takes its cues about migration, mating, feeding and life in general from the length of daylight, the temperature and the amounts of rain and snow. Usually birds return just as food sources become plentiful again. Butterflies emerge as plant sources for food become available, and animals mate only when conditions are conducive to raising their offspring.
About 10 days ago I saw honeybees in the garden. It was sad because there are no blossoms with nectar to feed them. It must be confusing to the bees and other insects. It is warm; the sun is shining, and where are the blooms?
There is supposed to be a natural synchronicity between animal species and the seasons. That isn't the case any more. Mother Nature's timing is off, and wildlife suffers as a result.
The last three decades has seen a gradual warming not just in the United States, but also throughout the entire world. Scientists confirm that this hasn't occurred in the past 1,000 years. Spring is arriving earlier around the world. Wildlife must adapt or perish.
Too warm springs bring the arrival of migrating birds weeks early, and hatchlings are making their way out of the egg too early for food supplies to be available to their parents to feed them. Some species will flourish and others will die. What man must remember is that everything in nature is connected. Nothing happens in isolation. One plant dying and one animal species vanishing into extinction can set off a chain reaction of biological events. What can result is the annihilation of a whole ecosystem.
Disruptions in wildlife life cycles are already widespread and alarming in many parts of the world.
Disrupted synchrony affects birds drastically. Scientists are finding that some species are producing more females due to the warmer weather, caterpillars are hatching at least a week to 10 days earlier, disappearing when the birds need them the most to feed their young. Some birds are putting on less fat to survive winter, because they don't seem to need it due to warmer temperatures. Coral reefs are being affected negatively and amphibians are also suffering ill effects.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program's records show that when earth warmed after the last glacial period peaked, which was about 20,000 years ago, animals and plants that could move toward the poles or to higher elevations did so. Species that could not keep up with the rate of habitat change simply vanished.
Now suitable habitat may not be available to those species that choose to move because of human development. Due to the presence of farms, cities and freeways, some species may not be able to move fast enough.
Hundreds of research studies confirm that animal and plant species have begun dying off or changing sooner than was originally predicted, because of the warming of the earth. Even biologists and ecologists are surprised by the fast-moving adaptation, because warming is occurring so rapidly.
At least 70 species of mountain frogs with nowhere to go to escape the escalating heat have already gone extinct. Another 100 to 200 other cold dependent animal species are in serious trouble. This includes penguins and polar bears.
Research scientists are not only seeing many species move north, attempting to adapt to changes, but plants are blooming earlier, and there is an increase in pests. These same scientist thought such changes would be at least a decade away. The changes are occurring now. Children 10 years old now will notice drastic changes by the time they are 50 to 60 years old.
Now the most noticeable changes that man sees are earlier springs. Notice the cherry blossoms appearing earlier each year, and grape harvests are earlier each year. Many songbirds are laying their eggs at least nine days earlier each spring. Man is witnessing evolution that he can track.
You may not be able to save the polar bears or the penguins, but what you do in your backyard makes a big difference to wildlife. Feed the birds, make sure they have fresh water, providing shrubs that give the birds shelter and food, and watch the use of insecticides is important.
Remember. All summer birds eat insects. Butterflies need the shrubs for the blossoms and leaves to feed the caterpillars. Bees need blossoms for nectar, which feeds them.Helping wildlife is as close as your backyard, the parks and area gardens. All are important to feeding and sheltering the wild world.
Squirrels are beginning to breed. Raccoons will breed from now through March. Pileated woodpeckers will begin to drum to establish territories.
May you always hear the whisper of wings?
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
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