- Being able to describe the seasons and their significance for forest organisms.
- Knowing the difference between annual and perennial plants.
- Being able to describe the overwintering strategies of different animals.
- Understanding the differences between winter sleep, hibernation and brumation.
The temperate areas of Northern Europe experience four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.- During the summer, the life of the forest is at its most plentiful. Plants photosynthesize and animals roam the forest in search for food.
- Plants have adapted to the cold winter in various ways, for example by dropping their leaves and gathering sugar into their roots and rhizomes.
- Animals can spend the winter in winter sleep (bear), hibernation (hedgehog), or brumation (invertebrates).
- Some animals gather food supplies for the winter (squirrel), whereas others change into a thick winter coat (mountain hare).
- Some birds migrate to the south, whereas other birds stay where they are even during the winter.
- Key words: day length, growing season, annual, perennial, winter sleep, hibernation, brumation.
