Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Take a guided trip to experience the majesty of winter at Mono Lake

With the winter solstice behind us, winter has officially begun and the days are getting longer! Join us here at Mono Lake for the Winter Ecology field seminar on February 9, 2019 for a guided trip into the mysteries of the winter season.

We’ve had a few winter storms already and we are hoping for lots more! Winter is a unique time to visit the Mono Basin—it’s a time for quiet solitude and reflection, for exploring curiosities on a smaller scale than during the bustle of summer.

Snow blankets Lee Vining canyon. Photo by Nora Livingston.

One question I hear people ask a lot is “what do animals and birds do to survive in the winter when snow covers the ground or it is so cold that we humans need to add several extra layers to stay warm enough?”

They have three distinct strategies: migration, hibernation, and resistance/tolerance. Migration is when they leave for warmer climes, hibernation is when they stay in the area but are not active, and resistance/tolerance is when they stay but must be active to survive. Each species has adapted to enhance its chances of survival using one of these strategies.

Cottontail tracks in the snow. Photo by Nora Livingston.

Want to learn more about what animals do in winter? Or perhaps you are more interested in how plants bounce back after a season under snow or in harsh cold conditions. Sign up for our Winter Ecology field seminar on February 9, 2019, and spend a day in the field investigating these topics. Can’t plan a trip here on that date? Set up a custom guided trip to delve deeper into the mysteries of winter.