I headed into the Cascades yesterday to look for bears and was welcomed by a verdant green in every direction. It reminded me why it is that the Pacific Northwest makes such good bear habitat. More than one hundred plant species in the North Cascades of Washington are considered grizzly and black bear foods. Keep an eye out for them in your backyard, and in the backcountry – it’ll help you to start thinking like a bear which makes for a more interesting hike, and also keeps you safer. Here are a selection of shots I thought you might enjoy. Thanks for tuning in!
Salmonberry - a bear favorite. (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
Bears love dandelions - look at the flowerheads that have been chomped off here. (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
Drawn in by the smell, bears will eat the bases and roots of skunk cabbage, pictured here alongside another favorite - the horsetail (rear). (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
A bear's eye view of devil's club - not yet in fruit, but give it a few weeks and it will prove irresistable to a bear. (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
Proof that we're not far behind - a pile of fresh bear scat on the Forest Service road we were on. (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
Bears loves horsetail - but only in the spring and early summer when it is succulent enough to digest easily. (c) Chris Morgan, GBOP
Bears eat the stems of cow parsnip - look for giant leaves lying on the ground (c) Bren Phillips
