An icy chill...

The icy chill is back just in time to remind us that winter still has a good kick left in it. I am already starting to get busy visiting schools and always have a panic about traveling the exotic invertebrates in freezing weather. Cold temperatures are a serious threat to these insects who really do not appreciate anytime spent below a toasty 18C. Spare a thought here for the Woolly Bear Caterpillar. Catapulted to fame in the recent BBCs Frozen Planet series with Sir David Attenborough. www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Arctiidae#p00l72dn   Even the most hardened souls can not help but to feel compassion for this little fellow as it determinedly spends a mind blowing 14 Arctic winters, quite literally frozen, for 4 months at a time. The secret ingredient here is cryoprotectant. This is a natural antifreeze that the caterpillar produces to protect its body tissue from damage caused by freezing and thawing. Pretty cool stuff !

In the tight grip of winter.