Chipmunks are not true hibernators. On warmer February days they emerge from burrows for brief periods of time to forage, groom or just enjoy the sunshine. They move adeptly through tidy tunnels in the leaf litter of the subnivean zone between the snow and soil. Some of the thoroughfares are nest access routes and others lead to ventilation plunge holes.
Where tunnels breach snow surfaces, telltale debris—used to plug the openings and keep cold air out of burrows—chronicles their invisible lives and writes vibrant autumn memoirs upon the stark mantle of winter.
© Ilija Lukić 2026
Giving Winter The Slip - An Autumn Memoir
No comments:
Post a Comment