"I'm sure I don't know, Miss. But every locale has its native wildlife. Fish, perhaps? Maybe frogs? Something to do with hibernation?" He finishes polishing the largest ladle and picks up the next. He'd never finished school, never himself actually completed anything but the barest minimum requirements.

"Perhaps a walk and quiet observation are in order before you'll have the answer to your question." He thinks of his sketchbook tucked into the side drawer of the kitchen desk. "I do know several bird species winter here."