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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Mountain ash lights up fall mountains, nourishes bears for winter

NATURE -- Mountain ash is lighting up the mountains for the delight of hikers and hunters this week as the shrub's leaves transform to the color of fire.

After huckleberries have faded from the diet of bears in fall, the orange berries of mountain ash help the bruins continue to fatten for winter hibernation.

The evidence is in the Sept. 25 black bear scat in the fourth photo, above.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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