December generally ushers in the first true signs of winter in the Sky Islands region: cold, even bitter weather and—if we are lucky—gloomy skies portending a soaking rain. Long gone, or at least out of sight, are many of our iconic species. Good luck finding an elegant trogon, Sonoran Desert toad, morning glory, Sonoran coral snake, army ant or any number of other heat and/or moisture-loving species. The bulk of their activities are during the monsoons, when life literally swells from the previously parched earth. By comparison, December, and winter in general, is a more austere time in terms of our biodiversity.
Even in the midst of this decided downturn in life, there are still hints of more profuse times. Species can turn up, that—by the standards of their taxonomic kin—seem to buck the trend of their cohorts by their mere presence in winter.
One of my favorite “winter contrarians” is the long-legged ant in the genus Aphenogaster. It’s not hard to locate this rather large hymenopteran. They are fairly ubiquitous in the mid-elevations near Patagonia, can be found near homes, and are active above ground if temperatures are neither too cold nor too hot. Further, they tend to be rather bold and aggressive, though they lack the capacity to sting—unlike our red harvester ants. Despite this deficiency in their armory they nonetheless have a trick or two up their myrmecine sleeves. Some researchers have observed long-legged ants dropping pebbles down the nest entryways of the harvester ants, presumably to slow them down and hence out-compete them for resources! Ants are weird.
Skipping to birds, many of our local flycatchers have long since vacated our local haunts, seeking more consistent invertebrate prey south of the border. Not so our Say’s phoebes. They are home-bodies that manage to eke out a living by snagging both winged and grounded invertebrates, despite the general dearth of such prey in winter. Not to be outdone, yellow-rumped warblers are generally the only wintering warbler species that can be consistently found in a variety of local habitats, though the occasional painted redstart, black-throated gray warbler, and other relatives may lurk here and there. Watch for groups of yellow-rumps hunting in small flocks near water, such as by Patagonia Lake. Some of the winged prey—many of them flies in the order diptera—that both the phoebes and warblers feast upon are themselves season-buckers that have evolved to hatch out in winter when not nearly as many birds seek them for food.
A few lepidopterans also manage to successfully make a living during winter or at least survive the worst challenges that cold weather has to offer. Any warmer winter day might see a few mourning cloak butterflies gracing our riparian forests. Many overwinter as adults even in latitudes much further north, making an unexpected local sighting a real possibility. Their predominantly dark brown wings act as efficient solar panels as they sun themselves on the ground or from a perch. Warming themselves helps to save energy, allowing them to survive until their critical spring breeding season. Viewed up close or through binoculars they reveal a dazzling array of colors and a shimmering iridescence.
Perhaps my favorite winter surprise comes in a rather formidable package—rattlesnakes! Though any number of reptiles—from ornate tree lizards to various snakes—occasionally make cameo appearances in winter, none is more eye-opening than the visage of a rattler placidly sunning itself in some secret corner. Mind you, I’ve only seen a handful of them during our colder months over my many Sky Island decades, but all have been memorable encounters. Each has served as a stark reminder to always be aware, as we do, after all, live in a county which has the most venomous reptile species of any comparable area in the U.S.
So, if you heed my advice, shake off any winter blues by going out into nature on a scavenger hunt, searching for species of flora and fauna that seem to have no right to be out during our dark, frost-ridden months. They might just brighten your day.
Vincent Pinto and his wife, Claudia, run RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS, their Nature Adventure & Conservation organization devoted to protecting and promoting the unique biodiversity of the Sky Islands region. RWWJ offers a wide variety of private, custom-made courses, birding & biodiversity tours. Visit: ravensnatureschool.org