Fall EcologyThe animals, plants, and tress of fall.

Many animals eat more food than usually in the fall in order to get ready for hibernation.

A few animals that hibernate are chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, and skunks.

Animals In The Fall

Pennsylvania

Scientific Name: Tamias General Appearance: pudgy

cheeks, large, glossy eyes, stripes, and bushy tails

Color: gray to reddish-brown with contrasting dark and light stripes on the sides of their face and across their back and tail

Habitat: anywhere from forest to deserts

Life Span: 2 to 3 years Litter Size: two to eight

offspring Diet: nuts, berries, seeds,

fruit, and grain Hibernation: Chipmunks do

not store fat in order to hibernate. During the winter they slowly eat the food that they collected in the summer.

Size: four to seven inches. Weight: 1 to 5 ounces.

Chipmunks

Scientific Name: Sciuridae Color: shades of grey, shades

of brown, pure white, pure black, black body with a white tail

Habitat: burrow or tunnel systems, nest, and tree holes

Life Span: 1 to 12 years Litter Size: two to eight

offspring Diet: nuts, leaves, roots,

seeds, other plants. small animals, such as insects and caterpillars, bark, eggs, fruits, baby birds

Hibernation: Squirrels do not hibernate as bears do but their activity does significantly decrease in the winter.

Size: 5 to 36 inches Weight: 0.5 ounces to 4

pounds

Squirrels

Scientific Name: Marmota monax

General Appearance: compact, chunky body supported by relatively short, strong legs

Color: grizzled brownish-gray, white, or black

Habitat: woodlands Life Span: 6 to 8 years Litter Size: six offspring Gestation Period: Diet: grasses, plants, fruits, and

tree bark Hibernation: After the first frost,

they retreat to their underground burrows and sleep until spring. They get all of their substance during that period from their body fat. During hibernation their heart rate drops a lot, as does their body temperature.

Size: 24.75 inches to 33.75 inches

Weight: about 13 pounds

Groundhogs

Scientific Name: Procyon lotor Color: gray or black in color

with pale gray coloring underneath, or red, or blonde, black mask, four to six black or dark brown rings around the tail

Habitat: forests, marshes, prairies, and cities

Life Span: 2 to 3 years Litter Size: One to seven

offspring Diet: crawfish, frogs, other

aquatic animals, mice, insects, eggs, fruits, and plants

Hibernation: They eat a lot of food in the summer and spring in order to store up enough body fat for the winter. For the majority of winter they stay asleep in dens.

Size: 23.75 to 37.5 inches Weight: 4 to 23 pounds

Raccoons

Scientific Name: Mephitis mephitis

Color: black and white with a striped, spotted, or swirled pattern

Habitat: hollow logs, burrows, abandoned buildings

Life Span: 3 years Litter Size: two to ten

offspring Diet: fruit and plants,

insects, larvae, worms, eggs, reptiles, small mammals, and fish

Hibernation: Skunks are less active in the winter.

Size: 13 to 34 inches Weight: 7 ounces to 14

pounds

Skunks

Many animals eat plants or the fruits that grow on plants.

After the first frost most plants die.

However, some plants such as Sweet Goldenrod, Periwinkle, and Indian Blanket survive the first frost quite easily.

Plants In FallPennsylvania

Scientific Name: Solidago odora

Origin: native to eastern United States

Habitat Ecology: sand hills and dry woodlands

Flower color: yellow Seeds: very small Smell: Smells like licorice

when crushed. Pollinator: wind Size: Steams are two to five

feet tall and leaves are one to four inches Sweet Goldenrod

Scientific Name: Vinca minor

Origin: native to Europe, Asia, and North America

Habitat Ecology: woodlands Flower color: lilac-blue or

purple Seeds: comes in groups of

three to five Pollinators: wind Size: 2 foot long stem

Periwinkle

Scientific Name: Gaillardia pulchella

Origin: native to North America

Habitat Ecology: deserts and uplands

Flower color: centers rose-purple, petals are yellow, orange, crimson or copper scarlet

Pollinators: butterflies Size: 2 to 3 inches across,

18 to 36 inches high Indian Blanket

Trees have many characteristics that are similar to plants.

During the fall most tree start to lose their leaves.

However, some trees such as Eastern Hemlock trees, Colorado Blue Spruce trees, and Balsam Fir trees do not lose their leaves in the winter.

Trees In FallPennsylvania

Scientific Name: Tsuga canadensis

Origin: native to Pennsylvania

Leaves: flat needles 1/3-2/3-inch long

Height: up to 70 feet Years to reach maturity: 250

to 300 years Years lived: 800 years or

more Eastern Hemlock Trees

Scientific Name: Picea pungens Engelm

Origin: native to Pennsylvania

Leaves: Needles 4-sided, stiff, in-curved and spiny pointed to 1/4", usually blush-green

Height: up to 150 feet Years to reach maturity: 50

to 150 Years lived: up to and more

than 600Colorado Blue Spruce Trees

Scientific Name: Abies balsamea

Origin: native to Pennsylvania

Leaves: bright green, about 1 inch long, arranged in two rows on either side of the twig, curving upwards with a narrow V-shaped empty space along the top of the twig

Height: up to 70 feet

Balsam Fir Trees

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