 I'm standing here with my warm winter coat to shield me from the cold temperatures and biting winds, but the plants can't grab their warm winter coats as the temperature drops. So what do plants do to survive the winter? Plants have many adaptations to survive the long harsh Wyoming winters. Some plants survive by avoiding the winter altogether. Annual sprout, grow and produce seeds completing their life cycle in one growing season. The mother plant dies and the seeds germinate the next year when the weather is favorable again. Other plants look like they have died, but the same plant will come back next year. These are called perennials. To avoid winter damage, the plant draws essential nutrients and energy from its leaves, branches and stems and stores these in the roots. That is why plants lose their leaves in the fall. Evergreen trees cannot avoid the harsh winter temperatures, so they have adapted tolerance mechanisms. Photosynthesis is greatly reduced. Some plants produce anifreeze proteins that prevent extracellular ice formation. Other plants avoid freezing by moving water out of the cells, which concentrates the sugar and other compounds, lowers the freezing point and acts as a natural anifreeze, hiding under a deep layer of snow is very effective in helping the plants survive cold winters. Whether it's avoiding or tolerating, plants are much better than I am at Braving Wyoming's Winter Weather. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I'm Mae Smith, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.