Thursday, July 3, 2008

Grizzly bear


Today driving home from work, I finally got to see the young grizzly bear that has been hanging around along the Alaska Highway.
It is always a pleasure to watch a bear from the inside of a car. And I am delighted to see, that it is eating flowers. It is not concerned about us or the 3 other vehicles that park on the side of the road behind us. It doesn't even look at us and just grazes, biting of the flower heads of the abundant Oxytropis campestris ssp. varians. It is the light yellow one, it is a locoweed, and indeed a member of the Fabaceae (pea) family. It is called locoweed, because when cows graze on it, they go crazy. Or so goes the story.
The bear is obviously not bothered by it, and seems, to be enjoying it very much.

I wonder if a bear eats Fireweed. Our famous Yukon Flower is starting to bloom!
Epilobium angustifolium. Fireweed. The Yukon Floral Emblem.

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