Even while we’re still enjoying warm summer afternoons, the alpacas’ bodies are beginning to prepare for the colder months ahead. After being shorn earlier in the summer, their fleece has been growing back, and as the seasons begin to change, that new coat becomes increasingly important. By the time Montana’s colder weather arrives, they’ll once again have a wonderfully warm layer of alpaca fiber protecting them.
It’s one of the interesting parts of raising alpacas in Montana: their yearly rhythm follows the seasons. We shear them before the summer heat, watch their fleece gradually return, and by fall they begin looking noticeably fluffier again. Nature has given alpacas a remarkable coat, and this time of year we get to watch that winter protection taking shape.