A Winter Holiday for the Beaver

At my farm, I'm always impressed with how well my little flocks manage to get through winter. The chickens grow extra layers of feathers and the sheep cover themselves in thick fleece. Even when the temperatures drop pretty low, I know those down comforters and wool coats they’re sporting will keep them warm.

In the winter, beavers reap the benefits of a busy year. (Courtesy Frank Durbian)

Wild animals use their own strategies to prepare for this time of year. The most impressive, I think is the beaver. Not only do they build themselves wooden houses plastered in insulating mud, but they also store enough food so they rarely have to leave those snug little huts.

Preparing for winter is what all that "busy as a beaver" stuff is about. First, you have to build a dam. That raises the water level so there’s enough room to swim safely beneath the ice once the water sets up. And then you have to cut and trim enough branches to get the whole family through what can be five long months.

So, next time you see an active beaver lodge, look outside for their food cache. To the untutored eye, it looks like a messy afterthought of branches stuck in the pond muck. To the beaver, however, that's better than pizza hut on the speed dial.

Come supper time, these clever rodents just swim out under the ice, snap off some tasty sticks and scoot right back inside. No worrying about predators catching them above water, no unnecessary burning of calories, plus all that gnawing on branches helps keep the front teeth nice and sharp. Which is important if you are going to live on bark, because bark is what’s for dinner all winter long.

No wonder when you stand by a beaver lodge in the middle of winter you hear what sounds like a lot of sighing.