Fat Bear Week

For those of you waiting with baited breath for the annual celebration of Fat Bear Week, wait no longer. Starting this past Wednesday, October 2nd, and continuing until 9pm Tuesday, October 8th, the elimination tournament between four large, furry contenders rages on – only the fattest will survive. 

What makes a fat bear, a fat bear? A diverse and omnivorous diet of berries, roots, seeds, fish, insects, and small mammals keeps them plump, and helps them to prepare for the long state of winter hibernation. Sure, Fat Bear Week focuses on the group of brown bears that live in Alaska, specifically in the Katmai National Park region, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our local black bears by planting bear-friendly selections, especially in our more mountainous and naturalized areas. This week we’re laying out the bear facts, and providing some bear-y interesting selections that our large, lumbering friends would love. Even if you don’t live in bear country, these plants bring their own eccentricities and curiosities to the landscape, and can bring wildlife of all kinds to forage.

Believe it or not, there are approximately 2,000 black bears living in Maryland, 3,200 in New Jersey, 6,000-8,000 black bears in New York, and a staggering 18,000 black bears living in Pennsylvania. All of the estimated 30,000 black bears in our Mid-Atlantic region require sustenance, relying on their remaining natural habitats that haven’t been lost to human cultivation. While black bears are known to enjoy a carnivorous meal once in a while, up to 90% of their diet typically consists of plant material. A single black bear can consume 30,000 berries alone throughout the growing season, making fruiting species critical to their survival. Below are some native plant species that black bears, as well as other mammals and birds of all shapes and sizes, are known to enjoy.

Cornus sericea – red-osier dogwood

Prunus virginiana – chokecherry

Sambucus canadensis - elderberry

Vaccinium angustifolium – low bush blueberry

                Highbush blueberries (V. corymbosum) are responsible for producing the sweet summer fruits we often find in grocery stores, taking residence naturally in boggy, low-lying areas and not often crossing paths with our bear companions. Lowbush blueberries, however, are commonly found in mountainous sites where soil tends to be rocky, gravely, well-draining, and slightly acidic. This low-growing groundcover is perfect for easy grazing and berry picking, especially if you have four legs.

Carex pensylvanica, appalachica - Sedges

Amelanchier canadensis – serviceberry

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – bearberry

                What’s in a name, anyway? Both the scientific and the common names reference bears: Arctos-, Greek for “bear”, and -staphylos, Greek for “bunch of grapes”, somewhat redundantly followed by the Latin uva-, also “bunch of grapes” and -ursi, or “bear”, altogether translate to this plant’s common name, bearberry.

Quercus sp. – oaks, acorns

                Acorns provide essential fats to not only bears, but squirrels, chipmunks, and other small mammals prior to the food-scarce winter months. There are over 50 keystone oak species native to our region, each critical for the health, biodiversity, and overall success of our Mid-Atlantic ecosystems.

Equisetum hyemale – horsetail

                Bears enjoy succulent plant treats from time to time, and have been known to nibble on horsetail when it’s available to them. Due to its prolific growth habit especially in wet sites, there will be plenty for the bears – and you! – to enjoy in the landscape.

Malus sp. – crabapples

Come talk about fat bears and also plants with us at the National ASLA Conference this Monday and Tuesday in Washington, DC! We look forward to meeting new faces, making connections, and of course telling you all about how we can help to make your next landscaping project a knock-out, drag-down triumph. We’ll be at booth #2213, so make sure to stop by and say hello!

American Black Bear (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

How Black Bears Use Wild Plants - Song of the Woods

Fat Bear Week 2024 | VOTE (explore.org)

Berries – a Critical Food - North American Bear Center

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Landscape Plants | Oregon State University

Vaccinium angustifolium (Late Lowbush Blueberry, Low Bush Blueberry, Lowbush Blueberry, Low Sweet Blueberry) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

Vaccinium corymbosum - Plant Finder (missouribotanicalgarden.org)

Amelanchier laevis