How do you respond to the changing seasons? When it is cold outside, you might wear a jacket or a hat. If it is hot outside, you might wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. What would it be like if you did not have different clothes for the changing seasons? Think of other things you do when seasons change.

Animals and plants also respond to the changing seasons by adapting. What is an adaptation? An adaptation is any characteristic that helps a plant or animal survive. Adaptations can change season to season to help plants and animals survive.

AnimalsHow do animals adapt to changing seasons to survive?Different animals have the ability to store food, grow thicker fur, or even change the color of their fur to survive different seasons.

In the northern region of the United States of America, during the winter, there is often snow on the ground. How would animals search for and obtain food during harsh winters, when snow is covering the area in which they live? Certain animals are required to store up lots of food during the late spring, summer, and early fall months. They are preparing for those winter months when food may be harder to find. Squirrels, mice, and chipmunks are a few examples of animals that adapt by storing food to survive

The four seasons are summer, fall,

winter, and spring.

Have you ever seen squirrels climbing trees? They could be

storing food for the winter!the winter months.

Squirrels gather nuts and store food in specific locations, such as inside trees and in empty animal burrows. When winter comes, they can eat the food they stored away. Mice will also store food. Then during the winter months, when food is scarce, they have a reliable food source. Chipmunks even have the physical characteristic of cheek pouches to help them gather a wide variety of food to hide away. In the winter, when berries and insects are difficult to find, chipmunks can eat the stored-away food such as nuts, seeds, and grains. What happens if chipmunks, mice, and squirrels do not gather food for the long winter months? Without storing away the food, those animals might not survive the winter months.

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Seasonal Adaptations

Some animals even change color or grow thicker fur to survive the cold winter months. Why would it be helpful for a hare or rabbit to have white fur during the winter months? During the winter, snow is normally on the ground where snowshoe hares live.

The fur on snowshoe hares changes from brown fur into white fur to camouflage them. This helps them blend in with the white snow. They are safe from predators that might see them and eat them. If the fur on a snowshoe hare did not adapt to the environment in the winter and stayed brown, predators would be able to easily find the hare. This adaptation of fur changing color allows the hare to blend in with the surrounding environment in order to survive. Other animals that adapt by changing their fur color include arctic foxes, snow leopards, and weasels.

During the summer months, animals such as bears and arctic foxes have light fur coats. In the winter months, those same bears and arctic foxes grow thicker fur. Why do you think this is? This is important because bears and arctic foxes cannot put on a winter jacket for warmth, like humans do. These animals have to adapt by increasing their amount of fur. This helps them brave the cold months where they live. Even dogs grow more fur to stay warm during the cold winter months. Do you have a pet dog? Have you ever seen dog hair around your home? Usually in the early spring, dogs will begin to shed their winter coats. Be on the lookout for dog hair around your home!

Can you imagine not having a winter coat and going outside to play in the cold snow? Yikes! You would be freezing! In the same way, many animals must grow a “winter coat” of fur as the seasons change in order to keep warm. Later, those same animals will shed their winter coats before the hot summer months arrive in order to keep cool.

climate – weather conditions over a long period time

MigrationMigration is a form of adaptation in which an animal travels hundreds or thousands of miles to find food and nest in order to survive. In the spring and summer months, sea turtles make a long journey, or migrate, to nest. They also migrate to warmer waters during the cold months.

Florida is home to several animals that migrate. Some examples are swallow-tailed kites, manatees, loggerhead sea turtles, bay-breasted warblers, blacktip sharks, and ovenbirds. Why do you think animals migrate to Florida? Hint: what is Florida’s climate like in the winter?

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Seasonal Adaptations

Sea turtles, such as loggerhead sea turtles, migrate to warmer regions to survive the winter.

Many animals migrate to Florida because of the mild weather. This means Florida has a warmer climate when other northern regions in the United States are colder. Animals migrate for many reasons. Some migrate to find more food, to keep warm, or to breed. For example, manatees must live in warm water because they can catch cold-related diseases. When the water gets too cold, the manatee travels to the warmer waters of Florida in order to adapt and survive.

HibernationHibernation is when an animal sleeps during the cold months so they can survive the winter. Some animals must find ways to avoid the cold winter months altogether in order to survive. Hibernation is one way to do so.

In the winter months, many mammals hibernate, or sleep through the entire winter. Food is hard to find in the winter. Animals will store food by excessively eating and drinking water during the months leading up to winter. Squirrels, mice, prairie dogs, and bats are all examples of animals that hibernate to adapt to the changing seasons. During hibernation, the animal’s systems slow down. It has a slower heartbeat. Its body temperature drops. This helps the animal use less energy.

Prairie dogs hibernate to

survive.

Bears also go through a period of winter sleep. They do wake up sometimes though. They even have their babies during the winter. The bear’s heart rate slows down, but its body temperature remains the same.

PlantsAnimals are not the only ones that adapt to the changing seasons. Did you know that plants adapt to seasonal changes, too? Yes, plants also have to adapt to the changing seasons in order to survive! Plants give us the oxygen we need to breathe. They are very important to life here on Earth. Can you imagine if plants did not have adaptations during the different seasons? What would happen? Could humans live if plants did not adapt in order to survive?

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Seasonal Adaptations

Plants respond to seasonal changes with behaviors such as dormancy, losing leaves, and storing food. Dormancy is when plants temporarily stop growing. Plants go through dormancy during the winter months because there is a lack of sunlight, which they use for photosynthesis. Unlike animals, plants cannot escape the harsh winter climates. They do not have the ability to move or migrate.

Palm trees cannot survive in cold weather. They flourish in Florida’s

warm climate.

photosynthesis – a process by which plants make their own food

Grass during the winter may look brown during dormancy. When spring comes, it will grow and

turn green again.

During dormancy, plants will stop growing or growvery little. This helps the plant conserve, or save, the very little water they have during the winter. Grass is an example of a plant that goes dormant in the winter. Have you noticed grassy areas during the cold winter months? Often in the winter, grass may look brown and dead. After spring arrives, the grass responds to the changing of seasons by growing green again.

Plants even lose their leaves in order to survive the winter months. When a plant loses its leaves, the plant can focus its energy on other areas to stay alive during the harsh winter months. In the fall, green leaves on several trees start to turn brown, yellow, red, or orange. Eventually, the leaves fall off the tree. This helps trees conserve, or save, energy. They don’t have to provide nutrients and water to those leaves.

Have you ever noticed that it is darker longer in the winter? It is difficult for plants to undergo photosynthesis and make their own food in the winter because sunlight is limited. Sunlight is the driving force in photosynthesis. How can plants survive without making their own food?

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Seasonal Adaptations

Some plants survive the winter by storing up food. Storing food helps the plant survive when there is little or no sunlight during the winter months. Some plants store food in their roots or seeds and use it later when it is difficult to make their own food. Carrots can reserve or store food in their roots to survive. What would happen to carrots if they did not store food? Since there is less sunlight in the winter for crops, they must store the needed nutrients. Other plants store nutrients in seeds in order to survive.

Here is a look at a tree during spring, summer,

fall, and winter.

Carrots store nutrients and food in their roots during the winter.

Now that you have learned about how animals and plants adapt in order to survive as seasons change, what do you think are some other ways animals could adapt to their environment to survive seasonal changes?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Many animals migrate south in the winter. Do you think certain animals could migrate north during particular seasons? Why or why not? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Seasonal Adaptations

Draw and label a picture to show an example of each of the following:

● An animal hibernating● An animal migrating● A plant losing its leaves● A plant experiencing dormancy In the photo, there

is an animal’s burrow made in

sandstone.

Florida has a warmer climate and is typically much warmer when northern states are colder. Many birds fly from the north to the south for winter. This means that birds adapt by migrating or moving to Florida as a means to survive changing seasons.

In the winter, Florida’s bird population will significantly increase. Look out for lots of new species of birds you do not notice year-round. Research and see if you can identify those unique types of birds you do not normally see. Use their appearance and physical characteristics

These geese are migrating south for

the winter.

to help identify them. Find out where these species of birds migrated from.

During the winter at St. Marks Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee, you can observe greater white-fronted geese, snow geese, and the rare whooping crane. These beautiful birds travel south for the winter to escape the cold. These geese can usually be found as far north as Canada and Idaho. The whooping crane will migrate from Wisconsin to Florida. That is really far from Florida!

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Seasonal Adaptations

See if you can match each of the following terms with the correct definition that is given below.

Look at each picture below. On the line below each picture, write the adaptation that the animal or plant undergoes to survive.

Term Definition

Migration A time when plants stop growing

Hibernation When animals sleep during the cold winter months

DormancyWhen animals travel hundreds and thousands of miles for food or nesting

Tree Geese Bat

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______________ ______________ ______________

Seasonal Adaptations

Draw and describe an animal or plant that uses the given adaptation to survive in different seasons.

Stores Food

Increases Body Fat

Migrates Hibernates Loses Leaves

Increases Fur

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Seasonal Adaptations

Recognizing Seasonal Adaptations Around YouTo help your child further learn about and recognize seasonal adaptations of plants and animals, take a nature walk! Walk in a park, forest, or somewhere in your neighborhood with lots of animals and plants. As you are walking, have your child pay particular attention in order to recognize how plants and animals adapt to different seasons.

Have your child take a notebook or journal to record notes and draw pictures about plant and animal adaptations he or she observes. Have your child tell you about the adaptations he or she notices in plants and animals, based on the current season.

Here are some questions to discuss with your child:1. What animals do you see that store food?2. Do you see any plants losing their leaves or going through dormancy?3. Why would some plants lose their leaves while others may not?4. Can you think of an animal that would increase its body fat during the winter?5. Do you see any evidence of animals burrowing or finding shelter in trees?

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Seasonal Adaptations