Spring Comes To The Forest (1972)

[Music] in Winter the forest is a quiet lonely sort of place plants are bare animals are hard to [Music] find sometimes we see where animals have been but we seldom see animals themselves is there an animal hiding in this log a cocoon is the winter home of an insect do you know what kind some animals do come out in the winter in search of food food isn't so easy to find when much of the ground is covered with [Music] snow the Downey woodpecker is one of the few Birds bird that lives in the forest throughout the [Music] winter food is so hard to find that most other birds have left the forest for warmer lands but they'll be coming back as the days and weeks go by the weather becomes [Music] warmer [Music] melting ice and snow release life-giving water water needed for plants to grow these are skunk cabbages they get their name from their smell which is pretty bad Sun Passes higher and higher in the sky buds begin to uncurl showing the beginnings of young leaves because the leaves are small much sunlight still reaches the forest floor the sun's energy is absorbed by the spreading flat leaves of mayapple plants where before the ground appeared lifeless and bare all sorts of new plants are growing many birds arrive birds that spent the winter in warmer lands one of the shest signs of spring is when animals are seen together in [Music] pairs spring is mating time in the [Music] forest all this time trees and other plants continue to [Music] grow rain and sunshine help plants grow tall and R the Jack in the Pulpit is one of the easiest spring plants to recognize no other flower looks quite like this one something else that happens in the spring is nest building most birds build some sort of Nest before they lay their [Music] eggs as the days go by plants grow taller and taller and more and more of them begin to Blossom the forest seems filled with spring [Music] flowers Springtime in the forest is a time of much growth and New Life life eggs have been laid birds are beginning the task of warming their eggs and protecting them so that baby birds May [Music] hatch leaves are growing bigger on the trees casting Shadows across the forest floor many plants grow better in the shade than in sunlight as spring moves towards Summer the forest floor becomes so crowded with new plant growth we can hardly see the ground these are Trillium plants Trillium flowers usually appear in late spring each trillum flower has just three leaves and three petals trilliums like many other flowers have a sweet scent or smell that fills the forest air the scent of flowers helps attract insects which come in search of food other insects are also out remember the Cocoon we saw before a moth has come out of it and is drying its wings baby birds have hatched too feeding them is a big job a job that will keep the parent Birds busy until the youngsters are old enough to look out for themselves do you know what kind of Nest this is a rabbit nest on the ground The Nest is lined with fur and grass which helps keep the youngsters warm mother rabbit may leave the nest from time to time to get food but she'll be back soon to look after her young most forest animals are born in the spring baby a possums ride on their mother's back this way of looking after them leaves mother aasum free to move about in search of food it's like having a walking [Music] Nest squirrels often build their nests in Hollow trees notice how small the ears are on this baby [Music] squirrel look at the baby rabbits now they have fur on their bodies and their eyes are open soon they'll be out of their nest looking after themselves mother fox has had babies too these youngsters are several weeks [Music] old Fox Cubs act almost like puppies when young these Cubs have a lot to learn before they go out on their [Music] own can you see a baby deer here it's well camouflaged spots on the young deer's back help it blend into the [Music] forest as the days go by the young deer will grow up like other animals of the [Music] Forest Spring is just about over soon summer will [Music] come oh