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November has an average high of 47 degrees, and an average low
of 20 degrees. Average precipitation is 1.42 inches, Average
snow fall 8.1 inches.
November is a tough
month for plants,
be they native or non-native landscaping.
The
cold winter nights
and lack of snow cover offers
means they receive
little protection.
Drying winds sap moisture, and
browsing animals
nibble on their
now often bare twigs.
If you have not
already done so,
cover tender and not so tender perennials (plants
that will come
back year after year) with a deep protecting mulch
of fallen leaves,
straw, wood shavings or what have you. Make
sure that your
mulch is permeable to snow and rain fall. Dormant
plants still need
moisture to survive the winter and return
in the spring.
Store all outdoor equipment away for the winter
to prevent rusting
or bursting from frozen water left inside.
For some animals, we are "south
for the winter". Many migrant birds have arrived, including
common goldeneyes,
buffleheads, and
hooded mergansers. The bald eagles come out of the high country-
see them on the northern
end of Vallecito
Lake, soon to be
moving down into Animas Valley and other valleys. Mountain
chickadees and nuthatches are migrating
to lower elevations
for the winter. In
the pinon-juniper forest, the piñon
and scrub jays, as
well as the Clark’s
nutcracker have been
caching nuts for
the cold season ahead. Wild turkeys are gathering in large
flocks, roosting in high
in the ponderosas
at night.
Most snakes are underground
for the winter, including
rattle snakes.
Moose and elk complete
the rut, and mule deer
rut is in full swing!
Black bears are entering
dormancy (not officially
hibernation!). Bear dormancy
facts:
. Body temp. drops
only a few degrees
(down from the normal
100° F). Metabolism
is cut in half. They
do not eat, drink,
urinate, or defecate.
. Breathing slows and
heart rate drops from
40 to 8 beats a minute.
. They can (and do)
become active during
the winter a number
of times, and may even emerge from their den periodically, especially
if they are disturbed
for some reason.
. They lose no significant
skeletal or muscular
strength, calcium,
and very little protein (due to recycling of nitrogen from urea),
but can lose up to
1/3 of their body weight.
True hibernators
include ground squirrels,
some bats, and the yellow bellied marmots. Ground squirrel heart
rate drops from 350 to 2 beats/minute,
and body temperature
drops from 98 º F to 34 º F!
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