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bd95287d-9e19-40b4-91a5-83c91c8a8974 BLACK BEAR DIET Pin Cherry Prunus pensylvanica July, August Summer Pin cherry is a common tree in northern Minnesota’s forests. It is intolerant of shade, and often grows quickly following a disturbance such as fire, logging or storms that open up the forest canopy. Black bears eat the berries which are shiny, bright red and very sour when they mature in early July to late mid-August.

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4f4bdb10-bb50-46cf-bfc8-8ab7b1bfd807 < Back Slide 59 of 83 < > Smaller birds also use white pines. Over half the 141 woodland bird species in the northeastern United States live in habitats that include white pines.

92da669f-6b7b-41a9-9d05-866a19e3bc70 < Back Slide 71 of 83 < > No other tree can replace the values white pines have to a variety of wildlife in northern Minnesota.

04bbe5af-6d79-47c3-9016-4f257e77871d BLACK BEAR DIET Tent Caterpillar . June, July Late Spring, Summer In outbreak years, tent caterpillars usually hatch in May and defoliate huge areas. They then pupate in June or early July. As the caterpillars grow, they increase their fat content, and also develop stiff hairs and calcium oxalate crystals that clog digestive tracks, which makes them unpalatable to most animals and birds. Bears eat the caterpillars at this time. No one knows how bears deal with the hairs and crystals as they make these caterpillars their main meal when they are at their fattest. Interestingly, although tent caterpillars provide food for bears in the spring, they reduce food for bears in the summer due to their defoliating berry bushes in June, which reduces berry production in July/August.

6f3aa18a-9d2d-4881-bdb4-38c41058c37a BLACK BEAR DIET Mountain Maple Acer spicatum April Late Winter Mountain Maple is the smallest of Minnesota's native maple species, growing as a tall shrub or small tree(up to 14' tall). In the early spring, black bears feed on the flowers produced by this tree.

969e6a3c-6f8f-4196-b7ea-0a79fbcec657 < Back Slide 56 of 83 < > Finally, is it important to keep white pines for wildlife? U.S. Forest Service studies showed that as scarce as white pines are, they still hold 80% of the eagle nests and 77% of the osprey nests in the Superior National Forest. These birds seek out white pines that strongly.

e0f34fbe-a0ee-4523-8e28-47071525fa18 < Back Birth of Cubs! Birth! Listen for the sound of a cub and the welcoming grunts of the mother. Notice the bedding made of chewed up logs. Previous Next

de777672-a369-4759-9bf6-ff2b42b81a56 Spirit Bear: Encounters With the White Bear of the Western Rainfores Written with vivid detail and passion, Spirit Bear is the story of acclaimed naturalist Charles Russell’s journey to study and learn from the extraordinary spirit bears on the remote Princess Royal Island. From early experiences observing black bears in the Rocky Mountains with his father, the well-known writer and broadcaster Andy Russell, to nerve-racking encounters with grizzlies in British Columbia’s Khutzeymateen Valley, Charles Russell has spent a lifetime studying bears in their natural habitat. In 1991, Russell visited Princess Royal Island, an uninhabited island off the coast of British Columbia. There, amidst the rivers and trees of the western rainforest, he encountered the elusive spirit bear. Known to scientists as the Kermode bear and to the public as the white, ghost, or spirit bear, these extraordinary animals have never been exposed to civilization. In Spirit Bear, Russell recounts his experiences on Princess Royal Island ― trekking over rocks and through streams; waiting hours for the evasive ghost bear to appear; and finally coming face-to-face with a spirit bear only inches from his nose. Illustrated with over 100 stunning colour photographs, Spirit Bear provides beautiful and astonishing insight into the habits and nature of the Kermode bear, and is part of an ongoing effort by conservationists to save Princess Royal Island as a sanctuary for these remarkable animals. Charlie Russell January 1, 1994 144 Pages:

250ae0c7-212b-49b9-8d2d-4e9ee8a07fd4 Feeding Whether climbing trees for nuts, fruits and flowers or pulling down branches, black bears leave abundant evidence of their feeding activity.

5d5e8e6d-8887-4620-9f1b-062f1d2f6744 < Back Slide 72 of 83 < > One of their special values is they often become hollow, like this one, and make homes for larger wildlife than does any other northern tree.

dcf1190b-ee8a-4e35-a77b-c6cd91261a52 Back