This post was supposed to be a post about bracken fern and sumac bushes BUT I saw a bear today! It was so cool! I was in the Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area as I am for most weekday lunches. I was on my way back to work on one of the lesser used roads. I came around a hill and curve and there it was cresting the bank on the north side of the road. I thought for about a quarter second and then hit the brakes. I was at the top of the bank in probably about ten seconds but it was gone. I was SO excited. It wasn't very big compared to my dogs. Probably smaller than Susie (about 150 pounds). As soon as I topped the bank I saw why the bear was there. I was in a huge field of overripe huckleberries. It was very neat.

Bracken Fern turning brown

As for the bracken fern, while I was walking amongst my very small patch here on my property, I noticed that some of it had started 'dying' and turning brown. I haven't had any rain here in three weeks so I thought my precious small patch of native fern was in trouble. Today when I went to the forest it was with the intent to check out the bracken in the WMA to see if mine was normal or not. Good news! The ferns in the WMA and my ferns are behaving identically so I think the ferns have a short green period. I think they stay green from February to July . This is probably to facilitate fire. They provide fuel to remove the fern's competition while the fern sleeps through the dry months 3 to 12 inches below ground. I love nature.

Sumac and Bracken Fern

Something I do have in abundance is sumac. The floor of the WMA forest is covered in sumac, huckleberries and bracken fern. I have all three on the property but I have a real 'infestation' of black berries. Tens of thousands of them. I don't really know what I am going to do. They came back stronger than ever after the first fire... We will see. I saw a bear! :)