A few years ago, when I was home after an operation, my best friend Renee, gifted me with her older iPad when she updated.

I spent my recovery discovering all the things I could do with it. I had to call her to ask a question and before we hung up, she told me I could catch up on all the past seasons of a show called Game of Thrones. One of the overall themes of the series was “Winter is coming.” So, as I walked the trails at the center it dawned on me that winter is coming and of course, that made me think about the plant life going dormant until spring.

As cold temperatures set in, I have been wondering why this period of waiting for spring is so important for plant survival.

During the growing season, all green plants use photosynthesis. Simply put It is the process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy.

Plants take in water from the soil, carbon dioxide from the air, salts and minerals from the soil, and chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight. Green plants use this light energy to change water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and nutrients called sugars.

The plants use the sugars during the active months and store the remainder for use during the winter.

At the end of the season, plants begin to move these sugars from the leaves down in the roots to nourish the plant for the winter months. From this point on plants are no longer growing.

So how do they “know” to begin this process?

With dropping temperatures and less sunlight these changes signal to the plants that winter is coming, and they go dormant because winter is around the corner.

Just like some people struggle with wintry weather, plants do too.

If plants were actively growing during the winter, the water in the trunk, stems and leaves would freeze, causing damage. With less sunlight and the intensity of the sun’s rays, photosynthesis would be difficult. Of course, in the winter we don’t get the rainfall that we do in the other seasons so water becomes scarce as it’s in the form of snow or ice and with the ground frozen, it would be difficult for plants to collect enough water to endure the cold weather months.

Dormancy is the way to go for the plants to survive!

So now I have the answers to all the questions that were rolling around in my head … plants know that winter is coming. The days get shorter, and the nights get colder.

I get a little sad to see the grasses, shrubs and trees start to fade to browns and grays. But I also find beauty in the dried grasses and leaves. But, by March, I need just a little tiny bit of color. I will take the camera for a walk the last week of March searching for signs of spring. The landscape looks a little dreary, but I know this winter break is important.

It is now a waiting game as the plants wait for warmer days and start this process all over again. And, now I need an excuse to get out of my office and go find a photo for this article.

Now, where did I put my camera?

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.