It occurs to me that for animals living in the forest, trees losing their leaves must be the equivalent of a person having the roof of their house blown off.
Suddenly protection from the elements is gone. Rain falls without impediment, saturating the homes of ground-nesting animals. Winds howl unbroken, tearing at the homes of animals that nest in tree branches. And while sun beaming straight down may seem a blessing in the cold months; for those animals that thrive in shade, the lack of a roof cannot be pleasant.
And then there's the whole vulnerability thing too. Rodents become easier prey for hawks, ospreys, and eagles. Deer are more easily spotted by human predators when the saplings lose their leaves.
Imagine waking up one morning to discover while you slept the sleep of the dead a tornado had raced through during the night, sending the roof of your house three blocks away and ripping the siding and drywall from the walls of your house. There you stand looking out at the world through barren sticks of wood that form the framing of your house.
I wonder how animals tolerate it?
No comments:
Post a Comment