🐻 Spring in Northern Minnesota: A Feast for Wild Black Bears! 🌿 May marks a crucial time for black bears in northern Minnesota, as the landscape bursts to life with fresh, nutritious vegetation. During this time, bears enjoy an abundance of high-quality greens that are easy to digest. This is because new growth is packed with nutrients in a fluid form—perfect for fueling hungry bears emerging from their winter slumber. Some of their favorite springtime snacks include: 🌱 Blue-joint grass in ash swamps 🍃 Aspen leaves & large-leafed aster 🌿 Interrupted fern stems & peavine leaves 💐 Dandelion leaves and flowers 🌸 Skunk cabbage & wild calla leaves 🍁 Red maple seeds ☘️ Clover However, as the season progresses, these plants become tougher and more fibrous. Their nutrients get locked into cell walls as cellulose—something bears (and humans!) find hard to digest. So, this short spring feast is essential for helping bears replenish their energy and prepare for the season ahead. Let’s appreciate the amazing seasonal rhythm of nature that keeps Minnesota’s black bears thriving! 🐾🌲 Photo Credit: Bill Lea (fb)

The ominous glow of eyes in the night! Have you ever wondered why it is you see the glow of eyes when shining your flashlight at night? What you are seeing is a special reflective layer in the eyes of many vertebrates- the tapetum lucidum. This special structure, present in bears, acts as a tiny mirror that reflects light over the retina, creating the eye glowing phenomenon known as "eyeshine". Bears use this unique adaptation to their advantage, with the ability of enhanced vision at night and in low-light conditions. Photo Credit: Jake Morrison (fb)