Notes
[February]
February First
Mourning-cloak butterflies do not all die when winter comes. Those that hibernate are usually found singly or in clusters, hanging from the rafters in old buildings, or from the under side of stones, rails, limbs of trees, or boards. Those that appear in the spring with tattered wings, have probably been confined in buildings, and in their efforts to escape have battered themselves against the windows.
February Second
Does any one know how old the story is that tells us this is the day on which the bear and the woodchuck rub their sleepy eyes and leave their winter quarters for the first time? If they see their shadow they return and sleep six weeks longer, but should the day be cloudy, they are supposed to remain active the rest of the season. This of course is only a myth.
February Third
Frogs usually pass the winter in the mud at the bottom of a stream, lake, or pond, or below frost-line in a woodchuck, rabbit, or chipmunk burrow. However, it is not uncommon to find them active all winter in a spring, or a roadside drinking-trough supplied from a spring. I wonder if they know that spring-water seldom freezes, and that by choosing such a place, they will not have to hibernate.