We Live Here Redux

Do not disturb ― someone lives here

Last summer (July 22 ― August 1, 2012) I wrote a series of posts called We Live Here to raise awareness about wildlife habitat and how you can maintain and preserve it.

It seems like a good time to say more about this topic now that many animals are preparing to hunker down for winter. It's important not to disturb their dens and burrows as you walk in the woods or work in your backyard. 

In Massachusetts, animals like groundhogs begin their hibernation in late fall and emerge in the spring. Others, like skunks and chipmunks, are not true hibernators. Skunks become active for brief periods when nighttime temperatures rise above freezing.

Chipmunks enter a torpid state, in which their body temperature and heartbeat decrease, but they wake every few days to feed on stockpiled food and defecate. Chipmunks enter their burrows in late October and, except briefly during warm spells, do not emerge until March or April.