Here’s how animals know that their hiberbation and brumation times are over

Flowers blooming

Spring time is here!

Spring officially started on March 20. This is the time when the landscape will be changing slowly but surely. Expect to see more flowers blooming, deciduous trees regrowing their leaves, and more green overall. Reptiles and amphibians will start to come out more and more. This will likely mean an increase in the number of turtles found walking on the forest floor or on logs, in ponds, creeks, and other bodies of water as well as an increase in lizards found on trees, logs, and fences. This can also mean more snake sightings and encounters. Please refer to earlier posts in this blog for what to do if you see a snake. Different birds will also start to appear across River Legacy as spring migration is beginning to take shape.

The reason for all these changes mainly have to do with temperature differences and water and food availability. Spring time brings about much warmer temperatures. This indicates to certain animals that their brumation (for certain cold-blooded animals) and hibernation (for certain mammals) times are over. Warmer temperatures also awake certain plants from their dormancy. Normally, spring also brings more rain, sometimes in the form of storms. Water helps with seed germination, causing more plants to start appearing. More plants mean more food for herbivores, which means more food for omnivores and carnivores as well.

Spring is a perfect time to enjoy and learn about nature with us at River Legacy Nature Center. We invite you to all of our spring events coming up:

• Our FREE Earth Day festival is Saturday, April 5th from 10 am to 2 pm . This is a family festival, open to the public, where you can learn much about Earth Day and why conservation is important while enjoying nature walks, crafts, activities and demonstrations.
• On April 11th we have a free children’s Story Time at the Nature Center in partnership with the Arlington Public Library. April’s book theme is wildflowers. RSVP here.
• On April 11th we’re having an Artini Craft night at 6pm – 8:30pm making creative wind chimes out of nature treasures and reusable materials. Register here. 
• We have multiple educational opportunities for children and families ages 2.5 – 21+ through our enrichment classes. View them all here.