Temperate Forests and the Four Seasons

A temperate forest is a biome that experiences four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Unlike tropical rainforests that stay hot and wet all year, temperate forests have a wide range of temperatures. In the summer, it might be a warm $75^\circ F$ ($24^\circ C$), but in the winter, it can drop well below freezing to $30^\circ F$ ($-1^\circ C$). These forests receive a steady amount of rain and snow, usually between $30$ and $60$ inches per year. This climate allows a huge variety of life to grow, but it also means plants and animals must be experts at handling change.

Most trees in these forests are deciduous, which means they lose their leaves every year. During the spring and summer, leaves use a green pigment called chlorophyll to turn sunlight into food. However, winter brings cold air and less sunlight. If the tree kept its leaves, the water inside them would freeze and damage the tree. To survive, the tree stops making chlorophyll (which is why leaves turn red and orange!) and seals the connection between the branch and the leaf. The leaf falls, and the tree goes into a deep 'sleep' to save energy until spring.

Animals in the temperate forest have clever ways to survive the freezing winters. White-tailed deer grow thicker, darker fur to trap heat. Squirrels are famous for 'caching,' or hiding thousands of nuts in the ground during autumn so they have food when the snow covers the plants. Some animals, like black bears, practice hibernation. They eat as much as possible during the autumn to gain weight, then sleep through the coldest months. Their heart rate slows down significantly to save every bit of energy until the forest wakes up in the spring.