"In the warming sun of late spring, a mother rests after giving birth." "Her new daughter is only six hours old" "But their rest will be brief, for they belong to a troop of the northernmost monkeys on earth, always on the move through the temperate forest that is their home." "Both the lives of the macaques and the trees that they live with are ruled by the timing and the changing of the seasons of the temperate world." "Much of Asia is covered by the temperate forests that stretch from the foothills of the Himalaya to the islands of Japan." "These forests lie in a broad band between the frozen wastes of the arctic and the humid tropical forests far to the south." "There are two kinds of temperate forests - those that remain evergreen, and the deciduous forests, where the changing seasons are clearly seen." "As the earth swings closer to the sun, and then away again, the plants and the animals of the temperate forests are exposed to all the climate's extremes." "Long ago, when much of the world was frozen in the winter of the last ice age, many trees became extinct." "But some of eastern Asia escaped this ice, and there the temperate forests now contain a greater number of tree species than in the rest of the continent." "In Japan these forests still cover vast areas of her mountains." "Forests of Cherry and Maple, of Oak and Beech are driven by the seasons, and trees must evolve strategies for survival." "In northern Japan, Beech trees dominate the forest." "They've evolved a strategy of living long, growing taller than the other trees, and reacting quickly to the lengthening days of spring." "Beech trees are amongst the earliest to bud... amongst the first to flower, to be pollinated by the wind... and the first to send out leaves to claim the energy-giving light before it reaches the forest floor." "But rather than trying to compete for light against the taller trees, one extraordinary plant steals a march on the rest of the forest by following a timetable of its own." "The few Japanese who know this plant call it "naniwazu"." "Instead of shedding its leaves in autumn, "naniwazu" keeps them green." "They're ready, as soon as spring comes, to take in sunlight while the canopy overhead is still open." "Its precocious flowers attract the first pollen-bearing insects of the season." "By breaking the rules of the seasons," ""naniwazu" knows its own summer while other plants have just begun to grow their spring leaves." "For the forest birds, it will soon be time to breed." "A female Great-spotted Woodpecker searches for insects that have, throughout winter, sheltered under the bark." "Spring reveals a myriad of strategies to deal with the changing seasons." "A tiny caterpillar climbs up from the leaf litter where it hibernated over winter." "But the colours that were a perfect camouflage in autumn will soon be dangerously conspicuous, for the caterpillar is climbing back into a changing world." "To survive, the caterpillar must follow suit." "Responding, like the forest, to the lengthening hours of daylight and the rising temperature, it sheds the skin that looks like a dead leaf and assumes the colours of a spring leaf." "The caterpillar mimics the leaves on which it will keep feeding until it undergoes its final transformation into a butterfly of summer." "All through the forest trees are exploding into flower." "After the long winter months, spring is a time when Japanese Macaques make the most of forest's bounty." "Macaques are perhaps the most adaptable of all monkeys." "They colonized many parts of Asia from the tropics to the temperate forests adapting and changing as they went, they first arrived in Japan perhaps half a million years ago." "Japanese macaques live in troops and move within a defined territory." "There are thirty-five animals in this troop, made up of a handful of males and two family groups of related females, each lead by an older matriarch." "This female is about twenty-six years old." "Her knowledge of the forest has been vital, not only for her immediate family, but for the troop as a whole." "Japanese macaques are different from other macaques." "They're less-inclined to squabble than their cousins who live in tropical forests." "These macaques are mainly vegetarian, but edible plants are widely scattered throughout the forest." "To get enough to eat the troop must continually move through its territory." "What's even more unusual, is the degree of tolerance between the male macaques." ""Ito", at sixteen years old, is unchallenged as the senior male of the troop even though he lost one of his legs in a trap when he was young." "He usually stays on the fringes of the family groups, constantly watching." "The family group is the very heart of Macaque society and once a female is born into group, she will never leave." "Young males however will leave when they are around five years old." "They will roam the forest either living a solitary life or in small bachelor groups, before attempting to join another troop with females." "In this troop as well as "Ito", there are two other big males." ""Gonzui" is fifteen." "Like "Ito" he never takes his eyes of the females." "And on the very fringes of the troop is another male who has recently joined the group." "Only eleven years old, he always keeps his distance but is a member of the troop, accepted within their territory." "The ancestors of these Macaques arrived in Japan's far north at the end of the most recent Ice Age." "As the earth warmed, macaques moved further and further north into new territories." "The northern shores of Japan's main island of Honshu are as far north as any Macaque can go." "They will not return to the south since their territory adjoins that of other Macaque troops." "These northernmost monkeys on earth have had no choice but to adapt to the seasonal extremes of the temperate forest where they live." "Spring comes late to the north of Japan." "It was at the end of May when the new baby female was born." "She's now three days old and is in safe hands." "Macaques give birth only to a single infant at a time." "A mother couldn't carry or care for more than one." "Babies are born at the time that gives them the best chance of growing strong and independent before winter, for then there would be little food and a mother would be unable to produce enough milk to keep an infant alive." "In the gentle spring sun, the baby explores the warm world that is her mother." "She starts to make out the light and shade of the forest." "She has been born with a strong instinct to grasp and strong hands to do so." "For almost from the moment of birth she must be able to cling to her mother as she moves through the forest with the rest of her troop." "As the females move on, sometimes calling softly to each other "Ito" follows." "He may be the oldest male, but he's not the leader of the troop, in fact they have no leader." "The forest too is moving." "The days are longer, and the canopy is full, filtering out much of the light from the forest floor." "So for the out-of-step "naniwazu", it's time to shut down." "Unable to win the race for the light, it begins to discard its leaves in an autumn of its own." "But the rest of forest is reacting to the sun that is rising ever higher in the sky." "On the rich spring leaves of a Hackberry tree the caterpillar that emerged from the leaf litter has grown large and plump." "Triggered by a combination of the rising temperature and its own internal body clock, it nears the end of one phase of its life and begins to discard a skin it will no longer need." "It will never again feed on leaves so it drops the head and mouthparts it no longer needs." "Inside the hardened outer case of the pupa, the body will undergo an amazing transformation, the timing of which is crucial... for when it emerges as a butterfly it favours tree sap which is at its most abundant in summer." "It still remains aware of the outside world, and is ready to respond to it." "A single ant is hardly a threat, but a swarm might be." "The nervous reaction is enough to startle almost any predator." "— After two weeks a butterfly emerges it's a female." "The males have already appeared and established their territories." "She rids herself of excess moisture in her body, then rests for a few hours to let her wings dry," "and she's ready to find a mate in the summer forest." "Almost imperceptibly the forest too is changing." "The green of summer is darker than in spring." "There are frequent summer rains, the days are long and warm and food is abundant for the macaques." "With the birth of four babies, three of them males, there are now thirty nine animals in the troop." "Prompted by the warmth of the summer days, these northern Macaques start to molt their winter coats." "Each individual is different, some hardly molt at all while others like the twenty-six year-old matriarch are losing almost all their winter coats." ""Ito" has shed his thick winter fur." "Because he seldom mixes with the family groups, when he needs a scratch he has to do it himself." "Within the family groups, the related females groom each other." "Grooming is the activity which is at the very bedrock of macaque society." "This constant and tender loving care forms bonds and alliances between individuals that will last a lifetime." "While still producing milk some nursing mothers hardly molt their winter coats at all - and having thick fur gives a baby more to cling to." "In northern Japan summer is short." "These northern-most monkeys on earth are best adapted to the season which will last the longest, the harsh winter months that lie ahead." "It's now late June, the babies are almost a month old." "As their mothers rest, they begin to explore their forest world." "But the last to be born, a baby boy, is still not keen to stray from his mother." "The baby girl, the first born, is more adventurous." "She's already climbing up into the forest." "It's a new world, full of wonders." "Even at this age they learn to watch and listen to other members of their family group." "And just like any child in summer, if there's a stream handy, the juvenile will take a dip while the grown-ups are relaxing." "They're careful not to lose contact with their parents." "The moment the adults start to move on, the youngsters follow." "Mid summer is now approaching and the trees are at the peak of their growth cycle;" "the canopy is thick." "But with the tall trees absorbing almost all the light." ""naniwazu" has closed down completely." "In a winter of its own a single berry is the only sign that this extraordinary plant is anything more than a dead stick in the forest." "But in the beeches and other trees, sap is flowing and where it leaks from a wound in the bark, the tree's loss is the insects gain." "The food source is so precious to a male butterfly he doesn't hesitate to challenge any rival — even a hornet." "By opening his wings the butterfly tries to scare off the intruder." "Male beetles fight over the same sap hole." "The trees are at their most productive, but summer is short and these rich feeding sites won't last long." "Throughout the summer forest, similar battles are fought and lost." "Two male butterflies wrestle over the prize, they only have a few precious weeks to find a mate and every moment counts." "What may be a whole life span for an insect, is just a passing heart-beat in the life of the forest." "Yet the destinies of both are ruled by the same seasonal cycle." "Already the days are shortening, the forest is preparing for a time of crucial change." "Deciduous trees measure their lives in only two seasons - a season for productivity and growth, and a season for rest." "On the high ridges, the first trees are getting ready for that season of rest as everyday the sun sinks slightly lower in the sky." "Some time ago they stopped producing new leaves, now they prepare to shed them." "At the same time, they produce fruits and nuts, which contain the seeds of a new generation." "Waiting for this autumn harvest are a host of forest animals." "At night, the forest belongs to small and silent hunters, like the dormouse." "They feed alone, fiercely driving off rivals." "Insects are rich in protein and an important food source, but they become scarcer as the temperatures continue to fall." "But not all go quietly." "A Dormouse may only live for two or three years, and whether it survives for another season will depend on how much weight it gains before going into hibernation, a winter sleep that may last five months." "If the dormouse does not put on enough fat, it might never wake up." "Autumn is also the most important season for the macaques." "They too are trying to gain weight for the coming winter, they can't hibernate." "To make sure they get the fruit while it is there they move almost continuously throughout their large territory from one fruiting area to the next." "These northern forests are a relatively poor habitat, although food is abundant for the moment the period of plenty will be short-lived." "There is no time or energy to waste on squabbling." "The Japanese macaques' unique tolerance of each other is perhaps one born of necessity." "By early November the first born baby is almost six months old, and is learning to fend for herself." "The timing of her birth was critical, for if she wasn't independent by now she would not survive the coming winter." "None of the four babies of spring can ever rest for long, for as food becomes scarcer the troop spends even more time on the move." "Other forest animals go further than just feeding on fallen fruits and nuts." "They build up a winter stockpile." "A squirrel, always on the alert for predators, peels a walnut before taking it away to store for winter." "A Jay also prepares for the winter." "If the acorns are too light, the Jay discards them." "The ones that make the grade it will store in its crop, before carrying them off to bury in its territory, which could be as far as half a mile away." "But the Jay, like the squirrel, often forgets the hiding place, and some of the undiscovered nuts will germinate and grow." "The Jay carries the seeds far from the parent tree, slowly the forest is being moved." "Autumn is taking hold throughout the northern forests, the trees have stopped producing sap." "The leaves of deciduous trees are thin, and are designed to be discarded." "This loss of leaves is a fundamental part of the trees life cycle." "The change in colour is a chemical reaction," "As the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, the trees take back what nutrients they need, but the toxins which remain in the leaves are dropped with them." "— Each tree turns a distinctive colour some Maples go a brilliant red... while the Beech, amongst the last to change, turns yellow and brown." "Yet even as the Beech trees are shutting down for winter their buds, like time capsules of spring, are in place." "The beech forests reach down to the coast, the northern limits of the macaques' domain." "As more and more leaves drop away, light can once again penetrate to the forest floor." "This is the season for which "naniwazu" has been waiting, now it pushes out new leaves to soak up the winter sun unobstructed by the forest canopy." "Before long "naniwazu" will be covered by snow, but beneath this blanket its leaves will remain green, ready to receive light as soon as the thaw sets in." "For the baby Macaque this is a new season of strange colours, and leaves that are no longer good to eat." "She is still finding out about her changing world, still unsteady on her feet." "Whenever they do rest, the family groups indulge in grooming each other." "Like a toddler competing for attention, the first born baby throws a tantrum... and is put firmly in her place." "Younger males are particularly keen to ally themselves with males who are older by grooming them." ""Gonzui", the second oldest male in the troop, relaxes in sheer pleasure." "The constant grooming serves a practical as well as a social purpose." "It helps maintain a warm and insulating coat, as well as getting rid of parasites, like lice and ticks." "The old matriarch is groomed by one of her daughters while juveniles groom each other." "Grooming interludes are brief for the troop is continually moving... picking up her infant a female follows." "Another infant still too young to walk long distances hitches a ride." "Like the forest, the lives of the macaques are governed by the seasons." "Autumn is the time to mate." "Gonzui displays his presence, then goes to look for a female." "His face now a deep red, Gonzui is in his breeding colours." "He moves through the family groups, checking which females are coming onto heat." "When females do come into oestrus, their faces also turn a deeper red." "When a couple pair off, they move away to the edge of the group to mate." "Usually it is the female who takes the initiative." "The male will be interested in her only during the week or so that she is on heat." "The oldest male "Ito" is also eager to mate." "In many macaque societies the senior male can have the female of his choice." "But with Japanese macaques, older and more experienced males don't always get their way." "— When "Ito" approaches a female, she's not enthusiastic even though she's on heat she rejects him." "It's often the females who have the final say." "This year all the younger ones chase the eleven-year-old male." "— Her body language is obvious first she tenderly grooms him." "Then when he tries to move off, she stops him." "Meanwhile, "Ito" doesn't give up and looks for another female." "Unlike the younger male who is receiving all the attention," ""Ito" has to groom a female, something he normally does not do." "But while she is happy to accept his grooming, she refuses any further advances." "This female also knows what she wants." "She's chosen "Gonzui" as her mate." "Yet in another week she will have nothing further to do with him." "The four babies have no interest in the activities all around them as they play together." "And what they get up to is of no interest to the males, who probably don't even know who their children are." "Mating for these northern macaques must take place at the right time." "Too soon and babies will arrive before spring when it is still cold and there is little food." "Too late, and the babies won't be mature enough to survive the coming winter." "As the troop heads off again for new feeding grounds," ""Ito" makes one more hopeful display." "Like the macaques, the seasons too are always moving." "Cold winds start to blow in from Siberia, a chilling taste of what's in store." "The first of the winter snow slurries blows in." "Although it's still too early for snow to settle, winter is about to tighten its grip on northern Japan." "But to the north of these temperate forests, the winter is far more severe." "Like leaves blown before the Siberian gales, refugees arrive from Arctic Asia in their tens of thousands." "White-fronted Geese, swans and ducks seek out the few northern lakes that will not completely freeze over." "No matter how harsh the winter gets here, the one they have escaped from will be far worse." "The leaves on one maple linger to the last, a final reminder of the colours of autumn." "Below, the forest floor has surrendered to the cold that will endure for five more months." "The shortest day of the year is still some way off but already the forest has shut down." "These northern macaques no longer have any natural predators, their biggest threat is winter itself." "But the freezing winter temperatures are a hardship their thick fur and larger bodymass have prepared them for." "This is the season they have adapted to survive;" "these are indeed the monkeys of the snow." "Grooming is still as pleasurable as ever, and an older animal may also provide some shelter from the wind to younger macaques." "The twenty-six year old female has been through this all before." "She may live to see four or five more winters." "In the deep snows the macaques move only when they must." "Each journey drains heat and costs energy." "Over the winter months, a macaque can lose as much as twenty per cent of its bodyweight." "They stay in the trees as much as they can." "It's easier to travel and they lose less heat through their hands and feet." "They rely for nourishment mainly on the bark of trees." "For spring's first baby, winter has been a rude shock." "But she learns from her mother and sisters which trees have the best bark, and where those trees are in the bare forest." "It's a lesson she will rely upon for the rest of her life." "Where they can, the macaques supplement their diet by eating winter buds." "But these macaques seldom stay in one place long enough to do permanent damage to the forest." "The Beech trees keep their buds safe within a hard outer case, which can withstand the freezing temperature." "Inside, the new leaves wait for the longer days of spring that will trigger their growth." "The seeds that have dropped to the forest floor lie beneath an insulating blanket of snow, which keeps the temperature constant." "These seeds need a prolonged period of cold before they germinate, almost as if they can recognise the time when spring is approaching." "Like the Macaques that live in them, the trees have adapted to the long months of winter." "Across the broad expanse of forest, everything seems in retreat." "Yet winter is a time which forces activity, and animals that are seldom seen must come out in the open to eat." "In spring and summer when the trees are in leaf, it's very rare to see this animal, the Japanese Serow." "It is an ancient species endemic to Asia, it's closest relatives are members of the goat family." "Calves stay with their mothers for a year or so, but as adults they are mostly solitary." "In winter the Serows move out the forest and forage on the southern slopes warmed by the winter sun." "On these slopes, where there is slightly less snow, they dig for whatever they can find to eat." "Like the Macaques they also eat bark and the winter buds of trees." "The ancestral forms of these strange animals have a fossil record dating back millions of years, they too are adapted perfectly to the cycle of the seasons." "To find food the macaques must move every day." "But when the air temperature drops below freezing they try to move as little as possible." "At these temperatures the snow will cling to their hands and feet, draining even more of their body heat away." "Drawing on her memory and knowledge of the forest, an old female knows the way to a new feeding site." "The rest of the troop share her knowledge" ""Ito" is content to bring up the rear, closely followed by a young male keen to learn from his age and experience." "Once they arrive at a feeding site, they all climb into the trees away from the cold of the clinging snow." "Only in winter do they sit this close for a prolonged period." "Even though temperatures are still well below freezing... the sun is once again climbing higher into the sky, and the days are beginning to lengthen." "The squirrel's autumn preparations have paid off." "During the few hours that they are active each morning, they search for the remaining walnuts they buried before the snows came." "Guided first by memory, then by a keen sense of smell, a squirrel retrieves a walnut and takes it to the safety of a tree to eat." "It can take as long as thirty minutes to crack open a nut, but the prize is worth the effort." "Forest birds have also remained active throughout the winter, and while pickings may be lean, nothing goes to waste." "A freezing mist rises into the morning air, and as the days continue to lengthen some trees begin to pump sap... but the air temperature is still many degrees below freezing, cold enough for icicles to form." "Where maple branches have broken in a storm, icicles of sweet sap take shape:" "creating a tempting delicacy for small birds." "Each icicle may last only a few days." "The rising temperatures mean that even as a Japanese white eye licks at it, the frozen delicacy is already melting." "Throughout the forest winter begins to lose its grip." "But this interval between seasons is still dangerous for the trees." "Their soft new shoots are moist and vulnerable." "A sudden frost or freezing snow storm could easily kill them, and the tree's long preparation for spring would be wasted." "Gradually across the forest the thaw takes hold." "Insects are returning and with them their predators." "The melting snows reveal "naniwazu" ready to greet the returning sun." "Following its own unique seasonal cycle, its flowers are already waiting to be pollinated, its leaves are absorbing sunlight before the canopy again closes over." "In the rhythm of the forest and the seasons "naniwazu" dances to its own beat." "The late winter sun warms the trunks of the beeches, and with the dripping melt water there's bare earth at the base of the trees." "and tiny spring ephemerals take their one chance to bloom." "Like the strange "naniwazu" they can only compete by staying a step ahead of their rivals." "The melting snow reveals more and more leaf litter." "Deep in the litter, curled like a ball, the dormouse has spent the five months of winter in a sleep which is close to death." "Its body temperature has remained almost at freezing, it has breathed only four or five times an hour." "As warmth returns, it stirs and begins to wake." "It shivers to regain body warmth." "Its heart beat increases from its resting rate of fifty beats a minute to five hundred." "It has survived on the reserves of fat from the previous autumn, but has lost much of its body weight." "With a metabolic rate so fast it must eat, or die." "As soon as it wakes, it returns to a forest that is exploding with colour and life." "With the orchestrated precision of a symphony the forest reacts to spring." "Dog-tooth violets bloom just in time to attract their pollinator, a butterfly which the Japanese call the Goddess of Spring." "Unlike the butterfly of summer, the "spring Goddess" feasts on nectar, distributing pollen as it flies from one flower to the next." "All the Macaques of the troop have survived winter, and more will be born this spring." "For the juveniles it's time, once again, to play." "The seasons of the temperate world have completed another cycle." "Once again, there is plenty of food." "The first born baby of last spring has lived the first four seasons of her life." "As she grow, she will never cease learning about her forest from her mother and family." "One day she too will choose a mate, and give birth." "She may grow to become the matriarch of a family group, using her knowledge and experience to guide future generations through the changing seasons of the forest." "As the forest in its turn follows the ancient rhythms of Asia's temperate world."