Minnesota Outdoors: This Week in Nature

Black bears are on the move through Minnesota’s North Woods and places such as Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr (open to the public through Sept. 1). It’s a full-time job to find enough calories for hibernation. Cubs, typically weaned and weighing 25 to 40 pounds, also need to join the hunt for late blueberries, raspberries, wild plums, blackberries, crabapples, service berries and more. Adult bears need 12,000 to 20,000 calories a day, which equates to 40 pounds of berries. It’s why a well-stocked bird feeder can look so tempting.

Wild rice ripens in the shallows of central and northern Minnesota’s lakes and rivers from mid-August and into September, but some areas may be behind or flooded due to this year’s frequent rain. Rice is ready when it easily drops into a canoe. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources requires permits for wild ricing, with harvest season ending on Sept. 30.

Watch for a golden glint on the wings of autumn meadowhawks, which emerge later than most dragonfly species and stick around the longest — sometimes into late October if weather holds near 50 degrees. Look for their dark red and orange bodies near wetlands, ponds, gardens and meadows across the state.

Lisa Meyers McClintick of St. Cloud has freelanced for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2001 and volunteers as a Minnesota Master Naturalist.