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Pictures of Plants Eaten by the American Black Bear in Northern Ontario

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- Lark.

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. Lark Ritchie's Black Bear Diet Photo Album Copyright June, 2000, All Rights Reserved. Blue Berries are a staple of the Black Bear in Northern Ontario. Pincherries are another late summer (Late July, Early August - sometimes into September) food of the Black Bear in Northern Ontario. Mountain Ash Berries are another late summer food of the Black Bear in Northern Ontario. Found in open or rocky areas and ranging in height from 10 to 20 feet, they are deciduous and bear flat-topped clusters of white flowers followed by orange or brilliant red berrylike fruits in July. Berries can remain on the tree into the winter, and are a favourite of wintering birds and animals. Black bears will pull the trees down, sometimes breaking them, to strip the berries. A similar practice is used for Poplar Sapling leaves in the Spring. Legend of the Mountain Ash Indian tales say that the more berries on the tree, the more severe the winter will be. Legend says that long ago, a severe and terrible winter set in. Snowdrifts formed in great heights and temperatures dropped to extraordinary levels. While in search of food, the Indian hunters became terrified when they came upon hundreds of birds and small animals lying dead on the frozen snowbanks. Immediately they banded together in great numbers and offered prayers' to the Great Manitou, as they were frightened that the same evil spirits would destroy them also. The Great-Spirit answered them by instructing them to take one drop of blood from every dead bird and small animal and smear it on the tree that meant life and death to their people. As the Mountain Ash was the tree whence they fashioned bows and arrows, their only means of survival, they chose it and set about as Manitou had made them do. The following morning every tree they had smeared bore thousands of berries. The birds and small animals that had survived were perched on the mountain Ash branches eating the life-giving food. The happy Indians danced late into the night, giving thanks to Manitou, who in return gave his promise that whenever a cold winter was approaching again, he would cover these trees with food. Chokecherries are another late summer food of the Black Bear in Northern Ontario. When ripe the vitamin C content of fruit is 50 percent greater than that of cultivated cherries. One cup of fresh chokecherries provides about one-third of the recommended adult allowance for vitamin C. Throughout North American history, chokecherries have been a source of food (in soups, stews, pemmican, fish dishes) medicine and wood. Chokecherries ripen from mid-July to September depending on the individual plant and the immediate climate. The berries ripen to dark red or almost black and are round, fleshy, about 1/3 to 2/5 inch in diameter. Pincherries are another late summer food of the Black Bear in Northern Ontario. More to follow...