January-February 2022 • Nebraskaland 25
and if you hang out nearby for long enough, you'll likely get a
chance to watch the birds return to fi nish their meal.
No. 3 Winter Shelters
With or without snow, careful observation can reveal
where various animals are sheltering from cold weather.
Some are obvious, like the large, matted patches of grass
where deer hide out in tall prairie vegetation. Others are more
subtle and require a keen eye to discover.
On cold mornings, the burrows of small mammals can
sometimes be found by looking for an excess of frost near
the entrances. Following tracks through snow, of course,
makes that even easier if snow is available. Some mice
eschew the underground life and make nests of fl uff y seeds,
feathers or fur either on the ground or in the branches of
eastern red cedar or other trees.
Many invertebrates create winter shelters, too. Some, like
praying mantises, build structures to keep their eggs safe
until they hatch in the spring. Others burrow inside plant
stems or other structures. In some cases, the presence of an
insect inside a plant is given away by the "gall" produced as a
Goldenrod galls.
