Seasons and cycles in nature

1. Seasons and cycles in nature Winter Photographs : Alun Williams

2. Winter Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, it can often be covered in snow. 43

3. By late November the leaves of deciduous trees have fallen. 44

4. The Natterjack toad was extinct in Wales , it has now been successfully re-introduced. Frogs spend the winter months simply lying in the mud. 45

5. Barn Owl Barn owls are best seen at dawn or on winter afternoons when prey is scarce. They are well adapted to a nocturnal predatory life. Lesson – File: Adaptations 46

6. The red kite used to be a rare bird in Wales, numbers are now increasing. They can be seen in good numbers in mid Wales, especially in winter, where they are fed at a number of centres. 47

7. Bryony berries are poisonous to humans, they add a touch of colour to the bleak winter months. 48

8. Garden birds in winter Lesson – File: Bird Feeding 49

9. Blue tit 50

10. Bullfinch 51

11. Nuthatch 52

12. Robin 53

13. Mistle Thrush 54

14. Great tit 55

15. Chaffinch 56

16. Greenfinch 57

17. Fieldfare 58

18. Starling 59

19. Dunnock 60

20. Whooper swans – many birds leave Wales to find warmer weather in Southern Africa, others like the whooper swans leave the cold winters further north and spend the winter with us. 61

21. The year has come full circle, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons are once again covered in snow. Plants and animals have had to adapt to the ever changing weather conditions. Spring, however, is just around the corner and snowdrops will once again break through the frozen soil to brighten the countryside. 62