Some fur-coated mammals grow a heavier coat during the winter; this improves the fur's heat-retaining qualities. The coat is shed after the winter season to allow for better cooling. The heavier fur in winter made it a favorite season for trappers, who were looking for more profitable pelts.
Snow also affects the way animals behave; many take advantage of the insulating properties of snow by burrowing in it. Voles and field mice often live under the snow cover.
Some annuals never survive the winter. Other annuals philippine phone number lookup require winter cold to complete their life cycle, this is known as vernalization. As for perennials, many small ones benefit from the insulating effects of snow by being buried in it. Larger plants, particularly deciduous trees, usually leave their tops dormant, but their roots are still protected by the snow cover. Few plants flower in winter, an exception being the flowering plum, which flowers in time for the Chinese New Year. The process by which plants become acclimatized to cold weather is called hardening off.
Exceptionally cold winters
Frost Fair of 1683
Thames Frost Fair, 1683
1683–1684, "The Great Frost", when the Thames, site of one of the many Thames River Frost Fairs, froze over as far as London Bridge and remained frozen for about two months. The ice was about 27 cm (11 in) thick in London and about 120 cm (47 in) thick in Somerset. The sea froze over for up to 2 miles (3.2 km) around the southern North Sea coast, causing severe problems for shipping and preventing the use of many ports.