Smoky Mountain Field School

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Happy Independence Day!

What are bears doing in June? 🤔

Bears that were born last spring and denned up with mom this past winter are now 18-month old yearlings. If all goes well, they’ll be the size of a medium-sized dog by the end of June, although their fur coats can make them look larger.

Yearling females are often allowed to move in next door to their mom. Yearling males are strongly encouraged to move out and go find a new territory of their own, so most young bears wandering far from home are males.

Mother bears start traveling further looking for food, and cubs are left home alone for longer stretches of time, usually near the den or underneath a handy “sanctuary tree” they can climb in a few seconds.

Black bears are omnivores; they will eat pretty much anything with calories. The bulk of their spring and early summer diet is what people think of as a salad topped with whatever protein might be available – insects, carrion (dead animals), fish, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians...

https://bearwise.org/what-bears-do-in-june/

Discover where salamanders live, what they eat, who eats them, and lots more. You'll also learn why the Smokies is called the "Salamander Capital of the World." 🦎

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🥳 From the tallest elk to the tiniest salamanders, everyone in the national park is celebrating 92 years of the Great Smoky Mountains! 🎉🎊

On June 15, 1934, the national park was officially established by Congress, setting aside these mountains, valleys, and everything in them "for the permanent enjoyment of the people."

Over the past 92 years, the Smokies have grown to become the most-visited national park in the United States, a place where visitors from all over the world can come to share in the Smokies' history, marvel at the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, and wonder at the incredible biodiversity.

Help us celebrate by sharing your favorite thing to do in the Great Smoky Mountains!

Photo by Bryce Wade

Discover where salamanders live, what they eat, who eats them, and lots more. You'll also learn why the Smokies is called the "Salamander Capital of the World."

Register now: tiny.utk.edu/5CGxe

Learn about the herb-lore from "medicine men" and "granny women" while you search the woods and fields of this temperate rainforest for its hidden treasures. 🍄

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