Page 17 - winter 2019

Friends oF red rock canyon 17

By Margie Klein

inter is a short but welcome break from true hibernation for the season, decreasing their
W the intense heat in the desert. One of body temperature and heart rate. A note of caution,
the things that is characteristic of a desert is an though - please stay away from bat caves and other
extreme variance from summer to winter tempera- hibernation spots during the cold weather. Distur-
tures. While many animals take a nap and plants bance can mean death for mothers and pups while
go dormant, humans, on the other hand, are not they’re in torpor.
slowing down and are hitting
the shops and the trails. Here Like human snow-
at Red Rock, there are still birds that migrate to our
things going on in the winter. area to spend the winter
While it’s not the time to view in what seems to them
reptiles or bats, some wildlife quite mild weather, a
is more easily seen at this number of wild birds do
time of year. Many species of the same. Some birds
wildlife are entering hiberna- fly even farther south
tion in the fall, not to be seen than southern Nevada,
again for months, while some but others just make
animals are more visible dur- the journey down from
ing the cold months due to the mountains into
their migration patterns. For the valley. Still oth-
instance, winter in the desert Mountain bluebird ers fly from northern
is a great time to view visiting photo by James Resch climes to winter here.
raptors and songbirds. It’s possible to see the
mountain bluebird at slightly lower elevations, in
Reptiles, which the Mojave is full of, seek shel- the foothills. A member of the woodpecker family,
ter usually underground and go into a hibernation- the flicker, is also at lower elevations in the valley
like state called brumation. While activity is de- in wintertime. They’ll be easier to spot among the
creased, they may still come out on an extra-warm bare vegetation, along with their nests.
day. Some reptiles share their winter burrows with
other animals, presumably for warmth. The rattle- Many trees around the area are deciduous, going
snake is known for this, conjuring up visions of bare until early spring. Desert annuals will disap-
deadly snake pits. Our resident amphibians (frogs pear and desert perennials go dormant while the
and toads) stay warm by digging themselves deep winter monsoons prepare them for regrowth in
in the mud. Insects may migrate south like some the spring. You might, however, see these blooms
butterflies, or else overwinter in a pupal stage, or per Dr. Bob Peloquin: rabbitbrush, wire lettuce,
simply hunker down in a covered area. desert marigold, sticky snakeweed, Mojave thistle,
threadleaf ragwort, Apache plume and dogweed.
Large grazing animals like mule deer and big- Winter days can get from 50 to 70+ degrees, so
horn sheep, are still active and looking for food. consider coming out of winter lethargy yourself on
Small mammals like rodents and bats will go into a nice day and get out and active in nature.

Winter 2019