winter

In Winter, the Garden quietly awaits the change of season to renew itself. During winter, most life is on pause and remains hidden below an insulating blanket of snow. The days are short, and the temperatures are coldest, which is unfavorable for most life. This is why most species become dormant, especially those that are immobile, such as plants. Birds are the most active animal group, and many species migrate here to avoid even colder climates. On unusually warm winter days, it's not uncommon to see hibernating species become temporarily active.

PLANTS

Winter is an important time for many seeds, which require freezing temperatures for a process known as cold stratification. Cold stratification is a physical process that drives biochemical reactions in the seed which are required for the seeds to germinate in spring. Additionally, the seed coats become weathered due to physical abrasion in the soil and the thawing of snow and ice. This weathering of the seed coat is also important to facilitating the seed's germination in spring. Dead plant parts, such as hollow stems and leaf debris, are important refugia (shelters) for many overwintering insects and other animals.

Evergreen trees and shrubs are the only plants to remain green in winter. Named because they do not shed their leaves in winter (they're always green!), these plants continue to undergo photosynthesis year-round. However, the amount of growth from photosynthesis is minimal because a critical resource, water, is mostly frozen in ice or snow, and thus unavailable for the plant to use.

INSECTS

Not many insects will be seen here in the winter, but don’t worry, for insects have powerful tool known as diapause. Insects that are inactive during the winter months undergo a state in which their growth, development, and activities are suspended temporarily, with a metabolic rate that is high enough to keep them alive. This dormant condition is termed diapause. During this time insects preparing to enter diapause will usually try to seek some kind of shelter from the cold, says a hollow stem. This is why this garden does not get pruned during the late fall and winter. Also, litter, like leaves are left unperturbed here, for this is important for bumblebees. The newly mated queens are the only bumble bee survivors during winter, and they use this medium, for this is a medium used by the hardy queens to hibernate

Many insects also seek out micro-habitats. Among these niches are under the soil, inside the wood of logs and trees, and even in plant galls. Blankets of snow benefit insects by insulating the ground and keeping the temperature surprisingly constant. Honeybees have been studied during the winter and are found to remain semi-active in hollow trees through the generation of body heat.

OTHER SPECIES

Winter is a time of dormancy most life in the Great Basin desert. This includes birds, reptiles, mammals, non-arthropod insects, and fungi.

Birds are the most common animal group to observe in winter. Although many local species have migrated to warmer climates, different species have seasonally migrated here from colder climates, while some species remain year-round residents. On the warmest of days, their songs are welcoming to an otherwise quiet environment.

On warm winter days, some hibernating animals, such as California Ground Squirrels, Cottontails,  Great Basin Fence Lizards, and spiders will emerge to opportunistically forage. During warm winters, evidence of mammals winter foraging is evident. Tree trunks and shrubs will be debarked. In the warmest of winters, the herbivory is enough to kill the plant, as the mammals are starving due to warm temperatures preventing their bodies from hibernating.

Fungi remain active, but hidden below ground, out of our view. Living in the organic debris offers protection from temperature extremes. Fungi continue to extract nutrients that are critical for the decomposing process that will allow nutrients to be recycled for future organisms. Fungi will remain underground until there is a shift in the climate that cues them to develop fruiting bodies that we more commonly refer to as the mushroom.