Beavers Prepare for Winter

The typical beaver lodge is constructed of cut branches, logs, and aquatic vegetation, all coated with a thick covering of mud. At the peak of the lodge, an opening is left for ventilation. This wood/mud mixture freezes like cement, making the lodge impenetrable to most predators, and remarkably well insulated. Beaver lodges serve a variety of functions for the beaver family in the winter – a dry, warm place to live and raise young, and a safe refuge from predators lurking on land, such as wolves.

After the water at Beaver Hollow has turned to ice for the winter season, beavers enjoy the safety of their lodge and the underwater environment of the ponds, creek, and marshes. All fall, the beaver worked industriously to cut aspen, willow, alder, and red-osier dogwood for their winter food store. They stash this large cache of branches and sticks underwater, anchored in the mud on the bottom of the pond. If you live near a beaver pond, you may have noticed the greatly increased fall tree cutting efforts of the beavers getting ready for winter.

Once the pond is frozen, the beavers exit their lodge through an underwater entranceway to bring branches back to the lodge from the pond bottom for a family meal. The beavers depend on this cache for winter sustenance. Should the beavers run out of food and have to leave the pond to collect more, they risk becoming prey for wolves.

The Red Cliff wolf pack utilizes the frozen creek and pond system of North Pikes Creek to travel through the area in the winter. It’s a convenient winter highway for the pack members. A wise beaver will store enough food for the entire winter and remain in the safety of the lodge until the pond ice melts in the spring.