‘Earth’s Great Seasons’ Recap: ‘Winter’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the finale of ‘Earth’s Great Seasons’.
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Winter truly is a special time for all of humanity. Because despite the fact that the landscape is bleak and covered in snow, and the climate is uncomfortably cold at times, we as a species tend to use this time of year as an outright celebration. For so many cultures around the world gather with those we love during winter, and offer and receive gifts to symbolize how much we mean to one another. Or we take part in celebrations that pay tribute to the solstice and oddly enough, this is a time of year that can also put us in quite the philosophical place. For nature’s stripping of color from the world, serves as a fine reminder to humanity to prepare for rebirth and change when springtime draws near, making this the perfect time to ponder upon our lives and their meaning and direction. But while we think about the nature of tomorrow while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa from the comfort of our warm and toasty homes, there is a grand fight for survival happening outside of our window.

For Earth’s Greatest Seasons wasted no time in its finale, in showing us how the wild animals that populate our world, work twice as hard to survive the ‘Winter’. For the environment is bitterly cold and harsh in every single sense of the word, and that motivates the animals that don’t hibernate for the winter to put together a survival plan and the first priority on that list, is keeping warm. Because without warmth and safety, they simply won’t make it through the season and that motivates some animals to go to great lengths to make that happen. For instance, penguins in Antarctica will create mass huddles in order to spread and share warmth, something they don’t normally do and there are even tinier creatures out there, such as the least weasel; that will make use of shelters that other animals built, in order to get what they need to survive. 

So, once warmth been achieved, then it is on to the next key elements in their plan, specifically… finding an abundance of food and battling the harsh elemental obstacles that nature puts in their way and that allows for some animals to get quite creative and inventive. Take the river otters of Yellowstone for instance, since they use breaks in the ice, to fish and in order to keep an ample food supply on hand, they’ll hide future meals in the snowbanks. Something that sadly can backfire from time to time, since coyotes and wolves are looking for food as well, and they’re just fine with using their noses to find a fresh fish buried in the snow. And speaking of the wolves, they do a wonderful job of using the elements to their advantage, since they are quick to use any and all tracks that they find in the snow to quietly and patiently hunt down a meal, even going so far as to let their prey wear themselves out in the snow. 

But while it was fascinating to see animals adapt to their environment and come to learn that they have figured out how to use something as simple as ice to their advantage; where this episode truly shined, is when it took the time to show us how sometimes a fight for survival in nature… involves an actual fight. Because with resources scarce in the winter, it is indeed survival of the fittest and if that means a Bald Eagle needs to throw down and toss claws in order to eat, so be it. And it was simply incredible to watch these birds and other various species, battle over resources, since it hammered home just how tough it is out there in the middle of winter and while these sobering segments made it truly seem as though this bleak time of year is nothing more than a brutal and savage free-for-all, the show did make a point to highlight a sliver of beauty that exists in the midst of all this wintry desolation. 

Because believe it or not, there are still animals out there, that see winter as the perfect time to select a mate. Simply because they know that if they breed now, their babies will have a fighting chance to survive when the spring arrives since food and resources will be abundant, and really… this segment of the story is perhaps a fine reminder that we do indeed share some elements of our world with nature. For its desire to create life in the midst of icy temperatures, fits it in with the thoughts of rebirth and renewal that are swirling through our heads in the dead of winter and really in the end, this series truly did save its most powerful story for last, and the show couldn’t have picked a better place to bring this saga to a close. For winter really does signal an ending of sorts and it brings this voyage through the seasons around full circle, and hopefully all of us walk away from this documentary with a newfound appreciation for nature. For the animals of the world really do defy the odds, regardless of the season and their fight serves to remind all of us, that life is quite the gift, and we should take a moment and cherish it, whenever possible.

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