Winter Adventures in the Valley
Hey Kids ...
Puzzle this one out: Name the animals in this word
scramble: Reed, Sgoure, Nuhma, Lerrquis, Ogd, Quslirer, Fxo,
KaHw, Low, Etoyoc, Shfi, Grof, YdagrNofl, Opeekowdre, Dipers,
CiKmuhnpu, Tna, Dirb.
Rabbit Facts and Curiosities
• Rabbit's teeth cut the grasses and shrubs it
feeds on, at a 45 degree angle. That's one of the
ways that you can tell they have been feeding in your
backyard.
• Rabbits do not have tails made of cotton. These
creatures are mammals, just like you and I are from the family of mammals.
The cottontail rabbit is so named because of the look of
its distinctive white tail.
• Rabbits have teeth that are constantly growing.
This is part of the reason they are so active. They have
to keep their teeth at just the right length.
• The most common local rabbit is the Cottontail,
whose family name is: lagomorpha. That isn't a word scramble.
Honest, its the true rabbit name.
• Rabbits have long hind legs for moving quickly.
They have long ears for excellent hearing & 8 large
front teeth for gnawing their food.
The Eastern Cottontail is a nocturnal
animal, spending most of the winter day resting in snowy
hollows or forms under hiding under brush. At dusk it will exit
from its hidden habitat and feed on the tender bark of young
saplings and thickets. Rabbits usually run along the same trail each
time they forage for food. It doesn't take long before a
system of runways mark the route to and from their feeding
zones.
After a heavy snowfall the branches of small shrubs are bent over
with the weight. A rabbit uses this to its advantage!
While the surface level of the pathways and runways continue to rise
with each snowfall, branches continue to be nibbled far up the
stem. Look for sure signs that a rabbit has been feeding by
the 45 degree angle cut of small branches.
Links to:
Bird Habitat: A bird’s habitat is the area it might call home.
Wetlands and Waterways: Wetlands are
vital to the health of all creatures.
Northern Oriole: Inhabits the top layer of a deciduous
forest.
Black-Capped Chickadee: Inhabits the under
story beneath the forest canopy.
Ruffed Grouse: Lives
in both deciduous and coniferous forests.
Life in the Snow: Animals react to the season of winter in many
different ways.
Vole; Shrew; Moles and Mice: Shrews have tiny tails, Moles have
no tails and Mice have long tails.
Calendar of Natural
Events: A flow-chart of the seasons Jan. to Dec.
Down To Earth