Seasonal changes in nature in summer, autumn, winter and spring. Animals at different times of the year How life in nature changes
Seasons play a huge role in the lives of animals. For them, each season is a period of specific activity. While a person can reschedule his plans or change his lifestyle, animals are not capable of this. Living according to the rules of nature is in their blood.
Spring
How animals welcome spring
Spring is a period of new life for all animals. After a long and calm winter, all representatives of the animal world begin to actively prepare for the onset of a hot summer.
Spring days in the life of animals are accompanied by a change in coat - from winter to summer. Squirrels change their gray skin to bright red. They can increasingly be found in parks. Squirrels jump through the trees in search of food.
Chipmunks wake up after hibernation. Outwardly, it can be confused with a squirrel, but the main difference is the five dark stripes on the back. Chipmunks have been stocking up on food since winter, before they hibernate. Therefore, with the arrival of spring, these animals are not puzzled by the search for what they can get enough of.
But bears, also hibernating in winter, do not care about what they will eat after a long sleep. Therefore, in the spring they come out of their dens in search of food.
For wolves, spring is the time when they breed. Little wolf cubs stay in their parents' den until they have the vision to navigate well in space. Being small, they are very similar to foxes, only the tips of their tails are not white, but gray.
Hares begin to shed, exchanging their winter white coat for a gray and less warm coat. Also, raccoon dogs, waking up after hibernation, change their color to a less noticeable one. The color of the coat is of great importance. In winter, the skins are white, this makes it possible to blend into the snow-white cover of the earth if a predator is hunting nearby. Gray wool also serves as a kind of camouflage in summer.
In early spring, hedgehogs wake up, because in April they have to breed.
Summer
Animal life in summer
Summer is the most favorable period in the life of animals. Long sunny days, warmth and plenty of food undoubtedly delight the animals. They are especially active at this time of year. They are not yet preparing for winter, but they are preparing their offspring for a harsh period. Therefore, animals are in constant search of food for their young in order to saturate them with useful substances and vitamins.
Herbivorous mammals sometimes leave their habitats because what they eat grows everywhere. Fresh juicy leaves allow them to stock up on useful substances for future use.
For birds, summer is a feast, because they can find delicacy absolutely everywhere. Midges, worms, caterpillars, fish - all this is their food in the summer. Birds are also assistants to gardeners. They eat all pests that can destroy the crop.
Despite the fact that summer is the most active period in the life of animals, there is one exception. Gophers prefer to rest on these warm days. And to saturate themselves with vital energy, they go hunting at night.
The most active animals in the summer are squirrels, wolves, bears, and various rodents. This time is also loved by: giraffes, camels, hyenas, cheetahs, monkeys and many others.
Autumn
Changes in the lives of animals in autumn
Autumn is a period of preparation for winter cold. Their life in winter depends on how they live the autumn, what they manage to do during this time. Furry, feathered, predators - everyone must take this preparation responsibly, because their own lives and the lives of their offspring are at stake.
Insects are the first to feel the arrival of cold weather. They begin to build burrows for themselves and look for shelter, which most often comes from fallen leaves or tree bark. This is where they will spend the entire winter.
Butterflies have their own way of surviving the cold period - they turn into pupae.
Also, toads, frogs, snakes and lizards are among the first to hide. Some frogs live closer to bodies of water so that when cold weather sets in, they can dive into them and sleep at the bottom until warm days return. But toads, on the contrary, hide on land. Their winter shelter is tree roots or rodent burrows.
In the autumn, forest animals begin to eat frequently and nutritiously, because they need to accumulate a supply of substances and fat that will help them survive in severe frosts.
And squirrels, mice and moles begin to stock up on food for future use. They bring as many nuts, berries and cones into the house as possible.
Most animals go through the natural process of pre-winter molting. They again change their skins to warmer and less attractive ones.
Winter
How animals winter
As a rule, only those animals that are capable of this hibernate. And those who are categorically afraid of the cold flee to the southern regions.
The life of animals freezes in winter. In the fall, everyone prepared shelters for themselves, in which they now live. The cold is not terrible for those warmly dressed in their furs: hares, squirrels, arctic foxes, foxes, wolves, moose and many others.
And some simply fall asleep: raccoons, marmots, chipmunks, badgers, bears and other animals.
Mollusks bury themselves in mud for the winter. Wasps, bumblebees, and tarantulas also prepared minks for themselves.
Newts hide on the shore, in a thick layer of fallen leaves or branched tree roots.
Gophers, hamsters and jerboas prefer to sleep in winter.
At the end of August - beginning of September, gophers, hamsters, and jerboas climb into their deep holes and fall asleep.
When you are in nature, you are filled with a sense of wonder. And it doesn’t matter whether you are walking in the forest, breathing in the fresh sea air or admiring the luxurious flowers in the field.
There is good reason that many artists and poets have drawn inspiration for their creations from natural beauty.
Research has shown that spending time in nature provides not only mental benefits, but also physical benefits. And now a little more about scientifically proven facts.
Spending time in nature increases feelings of alertness
A number of studies have examined the influence of nature on vitality levels. The results showed that time in nature (even if you were looking at a photograph or visualizing scenes of nature) increased energy areas. And it is not surprising that our feelings are awakened. Surrounded by the colors, smells and sounds of all living things in nature, you literally feel life around you and within you.
Exposure to nature makes you more resilient to stress
In one study, participants were shown traumatic videos of work accidents. And then they showed footage of nature and urban conditions.
So, those who viewed scenes of nature recovered faster from the effects of stress caused by the video they watched than those subjects who were then shown city scenes.
Being outdoors can be a natural remedy for various types of healing.
Exercising in nature lifts your spirits
We all know that exercise releases endorphins and improves your mood. So, feel free to exercise in nature and experience a new level of natural mood boosting.
A review of several studies found that outdoor exercise improved participants' mood and self-esteem after just five minutes. Interestingly, the presence of water in the environment has a particularly beneficial effect on humans.
Time in nature helps you focus
Research has shown that when people spend time in nature, it improves their ability to concentrate. For example, one study found that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder became more alert after a 20-minute walk in the fresh air than after walking for the same time in an urban environment.
Another study found that spending time in a park (or even just looking at green space) improves brain function and concentration.
By spending time outdoors, we feel connected to the larger picture of life, attuned to the rhythms of nature, and as a result, less distracted by daily stress.
People living near green spaces have better mental health
One study found that participants who lived outside the city for five years had an increased sense of well-being. And this effect lasted for three years!
Spending time in nature can improve your immune system
Researchers have found that spending time in nature increases feelings of awe, such as that feeling when watching the beauty of a sunset.
But it's not just awe and awe that increases your satisfaction with life. These sensations lower the levels of cytokines that contribute to inflammation in the body.
In other words, science says you'll be healthier and sicker less if you get outside more often.
Those who live closer to nature increase their life expectancy
A five-year study of Japanese older citizens found that living near areas with walkable green spaces added years to their lives.
This association was found even after considering variables such as income, age, gender, marital status, and other relevant factors.
Even indoor plants have a positive effect on health
A study of hospital patients recovering from surgery found that people who stayed in rooms with indoor plants recovered faster. Namely, pain, anxiety and fatigue decreased, they required lower doses of painkillers compared to other patients.
What is the conclusion? One naturalist said: the best thing you can do is climb the mountains and get their energy. Nature will flow through you like the sun flows through the trees. The wind will bring its own freshness into you, and negative energy and worries will fall away on their own, like leaves in autumn.
Seasons These are the seasons that differ in weather and temperature. They change depending on the annual cycle. Plants and animals adapt well to these seasonal changes.
Seasons on Earth
In the tropics it is never very cold or very hot; there are only two seasons: one is wet and rainy, the other is dry. Near the equator (the imaginary midline) it is hot and humid throughout the year.
Temperate zones (outside the tropics) have spring, summer, autumn and winter. Typically, the closer you are to the North or South Pole, the cooler the summers and colder the winters.
Seasonal changes in plants
Green plants need sunlight and water to form nutrients and grow. They grow most in spring and summer or during wet periods. They tolerate winter or dry seasons differently. Many plants have what is called a rest period. Many plants accumulate nutrients in thickened parts located underground. Their above-ground part dies, the plant rests until spring. Carrots, onions and potatoes are types of nutrient-storing plants that people use.
Trees such as oak and beech shed their leaves in the fall because there is not enough sunlight to produce nutrients in the leaves at this time. In winter they rest, and in spring new leaves appear on them.
Evergreen trees always covered with leaves that never fall. To learn more about evergreen and leaf-shedding trees.
Some evergreen trees, such as pine and spruce, have long, thin leaves called needles. Many of the evergreen trees grow far in the north, where summers are short and cool and winters are harsh. By maintaining their foliage, they can begin to grow as soon as spring arrives.
Deserts are usually very dry, sometimes there is no rain at all, and sometimes there are very short rainy seasons. Seeds germinate and produce new shoots only during the rainy season. The plants bloom and produce seeds very quickly. They accumulate nutrients
Seasonal changes in animals
Some animals, such as reptiles, reduce their activity and fall asleep to survive the cold or dry season. When it gets warmer, they return to an active lifestyle. Other animals behave differently, they have their own ways of surviving during harsh periods.
Some animals, such as the dormouse, sleep all winter. This phenomenon is called hibernation. They eat all summer, accumulating fat so that in winter they can sleep without eating.
Most mammals and birds give birth to their young in the spring, when there is plenty of food everywhere, so they have time to grow and get stronger before winter.
Many animals and birds undertake long journeys, called migrations, to places where there is more food every year. For example, swallows build nests in Europe in the spring and fly to Africa in the fall. In the spring, when it becomes very dry in Africa, they return.
Caribou (called reindeer in Europe and Asia) also migrate, spending their summers in the Arctic Circle. Huge herds eat grass and other small plants where the ice melts. In the fall, they move south to the evergreen forest area and eat plants such as moss and lichen that are under the snow.
– this is the entire material world of the Universe, organic and inorganic. But in everyday life, another definition is more often used, in which nature means the natural habitat, i.e. everything that was created without human intervention. Throughout their existence, people have often become the culprits of environmental changes. But the role of nature in people’s lives is also colossal, and it cannot be underestimated.
Habitat
Man is a part of nature, he “grows” from it and exists in it. A certain atmospheric pressure, earth temperature, water with salts dissolved in it, oxygen - all this is the natural state of the planet, which is optimal for humans. It is enough to remove one of the “designer” elements, and the consequences will be disastrous. And any change in nature can cause dramatic changes in the life of all humanity. That is why the statement that nature can exist without man, but man cannot exist without it, is especially relevant.
The main source of consumer goods
Luxury goods are created by people, but we satisfy our primary needs at the expense of nature. It is the world around us that gives us everything we need for existence: air, food, protection, resources. Natural resources are involved in many areas: construction, agriculture, food industry.
We no longer live in caves, but prefer comfortable houses. Before we eat what grows on the earth, we process and cook it. We do not cover ourselves with animal skins, but sew clothes from fabrics obtained by processing natural materials. Undoubtedly, man transforms and improves much of what the planet gives for a comfortable life. Despite all its power, humanity will not be able to develop outside of nature and without the base that it provides us. Even in space, beyond the Earth, people have to use recycled natural goods.
- This is a huge hospital that can cure various ailments. Numerous medicines and cosmetics have been developed based on plants. Often, resources are used in almost their original form to improve health, for example in herbal medicine, hydrotherapy and mud therapy.
Human dependence on natural conditions
For many years, under the influence of climate, topography, and resources, customs, activities, aesthetic views and the character of the population of a particular country were formed. We can safely say that the role of nature underlies many social processes. Even a person's appearance depends on the region from which his ancestors came.
The health of many people depends on weather conditions. Well-being and emotional state may change depending on the phases of the moon, solar activity, magnetic storms and other phenomena. The level of air pollution, its humidity, temperature, oxygen concentration - all this can also affect a person’s well-being. For example, city residents, after relaxing by the river, note an improvement in their physical and psychological condition.
Cities with over a million people, modern cars, the latest technologies - looking at all this, it seems that man has learned to successfully exist outside of nature. In fact, humanity still depends on conditions that it cannot change. For example, its economy depends on the quantity and condition of natural resources on the territory of a state. Weather conditions determine the characteristics of the buildings of a settlement and living conditions. Such a variety of national cuisines arose as a result of the climatic characteristics of the regions, as well as the flora and fauna.
Aesthetic and scientific significance
Nature acts as a source of a wide variety of information that helps build relationships with the outside world. Thanks to the data that the planet stores, we can know who inhabited the Earth thousands and millions of years ago. Today we can, if not prevent natural disasters, then at least protect ourselves from them. And man has even learned to direct some phenomena to his advantage. and human learning. The child is introduced to the world around him, taught to protect, protect and ennoble it. Without this, no educational process is possible.
The importance of nature in cultural life cannot be ignored. We contemplate, admire, enjoy. It is a source of inspiration for writers, artists and musicians. This is what artists have sung and will continue to sang in their creations. Many are sure that the beauty and harmony of nature even has a healing effect on the body. Although the spiritual component is not the first necessity for the life of the population, it plays a vital role in the life of society.
The world around us is constantly changing. This applies to both microscopic organisms and landscapes over vast territories. This spread presents examples of various changes that occur in nature and are associated with human activity.
Over billions of years, powerful forces of nature - such as movements of continental plates (see article ““), volcanic activity, soil erosion, rise and fall of ocean levels - have radically changed the surface topography of our planet and the environment. Very slowly this continues to this day. Less lasting changes in nature are usually called. Succession is when entire groups of plants and animals replace each other over certain periods of time, forming climatic communities. Such a community can exist without any changes if nothing changes. Example - .
Continuity is the reason for the emergence of the climate community. Changes to the natural environment as a result of human activity are found everywhere. In many countries, industry, agriculture and urban growth have transformed natural landscapes into new types of environments. Most of these changes have been going on for centuries, but recent population growth and industrial development have dramatically increased both the scope and intensity of these changes.
The climate in different parts of the world changes several times a year, depending on the time of year. This is explained by the tilt of the earth's axis as our planet revolves around the sun. In the tropics, where it is constant all year round, the season is determined by the amount of precipitation - dry or rainy. To the south and north of the equator, climate changes are much more significant, especially in temperature. There are four seasons here: winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Photographing Seasonal Changes
If you know how to use a camera, take pictures of the same place at different times of the year, or even better, in the first days of each month. The changes you will see in the photographs will be impressive. With these photographs you can demonstrate the changes in nature during different seasons. There are also longer-term climate changes that negatively affect the environment. Over the past 900 thousand years, there have been about 10 cold snaps (ice ages), in between which warming occurred. We are living in one of these warm periods.
Natural climate changes occur gradually, over thousands of years, and do not threaten us with anything serious. Much more dangerous is human industrial intervention in the environment and climate of the Earth. Then the climate changes very quickly, and the consequences are threatening. The real danger to all emus on Earth is the greenhouse effect, smoke and dust that cover them, as well as the destruction of the ozone layer.
The ozone layer in the upper layers protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, which causes skin cancer. This vital layer has been found to be gradually destroyed by chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, which are used in some aerosols and refrigerators, as well as in the production of polystyrene. Some measures are already being taken to slow down the accumulation of chlorofluorocarbons, but many scientists believe that they are clearly insufficient.
Changes in living organisms
Everything around us is constantly changing. Cells in living organisms are destroyed and replaced by new ones. Plants and animals are born, grow, reproduce and die: they are replaced by new generations. Life cycles and habitats are also constantly changing. The change of climatic seasons affects the life of most organisms. Many animals adapt their life cycles to changes in temperature and food type. Some migrate (move) to other places, often located many hundreds of kilometers away, where conditions for life and reproduction are more favorable (see article ““). 
Arctic terns breed in the summer on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, and then fly 20 thousand km to where they spend the Antarctic summer. Every year they cover more than 40 thousand km. Many plants adapt to the changing seasons, adjusting their flowering and fruiting times. Thus, perennial herbaceous plants die off at the end of the year, and their underground part and roots overwinter and wake up again in the spring. These plants bloom and produce seeds in the summer and die back in the fall. Animals such as snakes and hedgehogs survive the harshest times of the year by hibernating. They spend long months in a state of deep sleep, and almost all functions of their body freeze. Fat reserves accumulated in the summer provide them with the necessary minimum of energy. In many ways, it resembles hibernation and torpor, except that in a state of torpor, animals, such as African lizards, can survive in conditions of heat and drought.
Metamorphosis of a butterfly
One of the most amazing transformations in wildlife is the degeneration of a caterpillar into a butterfly or moth. It is called metamorphosis. To observe it, you will need a cardboard box like the one shown in the picture. Place some plant food in the box and then find and plant some caterpillars in it. Check beforehand whether the prepared food is suitable for them. After some time, the caterpillars will turn into pupae, and then butterflies will hatch from them. It is better to release butterflies into the wild as soon as possible.