Natural Ways To Deal With Heat

July is prime time here on Cape Cod, and most of us know why. Even on the hottest days our shores are cooler than inland areas, and the crowds love it. Our beaches fill up with people enjoying the cooling water and ocean breezes, locals and visitors alike.

This enjoyment of these naturally cool elements is, well, natural. Much of nature seeks out these very same things though some cool off in different, even inventive ways.

Extreme cold or heat can be challenging for all living things, whether they are animals or plants. Although many species have developed unique and effective ways to survive the extremes in their areas, climate change is making traditionally successful efforts less effective, making life even more fragile in some cases.

Seeking shade is a time-honored way to deal with excessive heat, and if you are out and about you may see wildlife resting in the shade. If you are in an area with livestock, you may see them resting under any available tree or shade from a barn or other building, often close together to get every available inch of shade. Birds rest in trees or bushes out of the direct sun on hot days, especially at midday when the sun is the strongest. Even insects such as butterflies can only take so much heat and will seek shady areas to wait out the hottest part of the day. Butterflies will also feed with their wings closed as the wings absorb less heat that way. On cooler days, outspread wings help draw in warmth.

Water is another favorite coolant in the natural world. Gulls can be seen standing in water, ducks and geese will spend the day swimming or standing in cool shady parts of ponds or lakes, and shorebirds may seek shade in grassy areas of dunes or marshes when not seeking food in wetter areas. Even land-bound box turtles may make their way to a pond’s edge or puddle to cool off on very warm days. These guys don’t swim so please don’t put them in water. If they want to get wet, they’ll figure it out on their own.

One of the most common ways to deal with heat is through evaporation. This is what happens when we sweat, or when an animal pants. Moisture on the skin or tongue evaporates into the air, cooling the skin. Humans aren’t alone in being able to sweat. Other primates sweat and so do horses. Most mammals, however, must pant like our dogs and cats do.

Birds have some interesting ways of dealing with heat. Many appear to pant a bit, but they can also do something called gular fluttering, vibrating their throat muscles and bones to expose moist membranes to the air. This can be accomplished while they remain still, so they don’t waste precious energy. Some will seek out water and either stand in the water or give themselves a bath. Putting out water in shallow containers in shady spots on summer days is a thoughtful way to help the birds that visit your yard. Staying hydrated helps all of us stay cooler, including plants.

Some birds have even more interesting ways to stay cool. Vultures and some herons defecate on their legs to cool them off. This sounds disgusting, but apparently it works for them.

In dry, hot seasons earthworms will burrow deeper into the ground, garden snails will pull into their shells and stay there, and bees will take droplets of water back to their hives to put on the honeycomb so they can fan the hive.

If you’re out and about on a hot summer day, you may notice that nature is pretty quiet, especially at midday. This is because one of the most effective ways to stay cool is to stay quiet and still. You won’t find foxes jogging or birds doing marathons when the temperature and humidity is soaring. They know that it is cooler in the early morning and later in the day so will conserve their energy for those times.

In countries where high temperatures are more common than cool ones it is culturally acceptable to take part of the day off from work. Siestas are rest or nap times in many Latin countries where the noontime temperatures soar in ways that make work not only uncomfortable but dangerous.

Too much heat can cause heat stroke in humans but also in animals. Staying cool is not only more comfortable but is necessary for survival. It makes sense to rest when the heat is unbearable.

Today humans use air conditioning so they can continue working as if it isn’t boiling hot outdoors. Air conditioning has made formerly uninhabitable areas of the world more habitable, but it comes at a cost, not the least of which is exacerbating climate change, an ironic twist of fate if there ever was one.

Even though it is cooler on the Cape than inland in July and August, it can still get very hot and humid. It is good to stay hydrated and stay as cool as possible. Be mindful of children and pets, neither of which may feel the heat until they are sick from it. Make sure they have plenty of water and shade. For those that enjoy it, a good swim or run through a sprinkler can help.

This is a great time to make sure your bird baths are full of fresh water daily, but also maybe put a shallow bowl of water on the ground as well. Squirrels, rabbits, and other wildlife will thank you.

There’s not much we can do about the heat, but we can learn to deal with it as best we can. If it really starts to get you down, remember how the vultures and herons sometimes cool off and be glad you have better choices. Stay cool out there.