Archives: Episode

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Blackbears

Black Bear Sitting
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Mike Bender, Photographer

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

I have to admit that it didn’t make much sense to me that yesterday was the start of summer. While sitting in the warm sun, feeling like winter forgot to give spring a turn in the seasonal cycle, I though of the American black bear, another mammal that also probably wondered when the warm weather would finally arrive.

Black bears are native to most of North America, even into northern Mexico. In Utah, black bears are common throughout many of the state’s forests. Contrary to its name, black bears tend to be medium to dark brown in the western US, although its color can range all the way from blonde or cinnamon to black.

As black bears emerge from their winter slumber, they are particularly hungry from several months of living mostly off of fat reserves. This is an even greater challenge for females because cubs are born in January or February and survive on the mother’s milk until spring. So, when spring arrives, they are more than happy to feed on a wide variety of foods, including fruits, nuts, grubs and other insects, small vertebrates, and carrion. Bears are most actively feeding around dawn or dusk, but may feed at other times of day if they become habituated to human food sources.

Young Male Blackbear Climbing Tree
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Steve Maslowski, Photographer

Black bears have been known to attack humans, although usually very infrequently. Attacks most often happen when a black bear is defending cubs or food, or as a result of becoming accustomed to obtaining food from people.

Will the black bears be as hungry for summer as we are? It might be best to not take any chances while out exploring the mountains this summer. When not eating, be sure to carry all food, garbage, and scented items, such as toothpaste and chapstick, in an airtight plastic bag or securely store them in a vehicle or bear-proof container. I’d even recommend carrying bear spray just to be safe. And, don’t forget to hold on tight to those pic-a-nic baskets!

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy US FWS: https://Images.fws.gov
Text:     Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.
Additional Reading:

Burt, W. H. and R. P. Grossenheider. 1980. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 289 pp.

Safety in Bear Country https://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/learn-more/bear-safety.html

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Utah Conservation Data Center https://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search/Display.asp?FlNm=ursuamer

 

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Wind, Hold on to Your Hat!

Graphical Forecasts – Central Rockies
NOAA National Weather Service
Western Regional Headquarters
Hi I’m Holly Strand.

On a recent camping trip on Utah’s Colorado Plateau, my brother and I were buffeted by strong sand-blasting winds for two days straight. Setting up camp was nearly impossible. Strong gusts ripped the tent away from us. Catching only the guylines, we flew the big green tent like a kite through the sagebrush. Eventually we pulled it down and got stakes in the ground. Unable to make a fire, we ate a cold dinner and tried to sleep –until the tent collapsed under the persistent onslaught of meteorological Furies. The next day, the sand-infused wind whipped us painfully as we descended into Horseshoe Canyon. Dust devils pursued us along the canyon floor.

Arriving home I read up on the cause of our discomfort. In simplest terms wind is caused by air moving from high to low pressure. The steeper the air pressure gradient—that is –the change in air pressure per unit distance–the stronger the resulting wind speed. Differences in air pressure are often caused by localized warming of air temperature. The warm air rises creating a spot of relatively low pressure ; then cooler air from a high pressure region rushes in to replace it.

Wind tends to blow much more forcefully near a frontal boundary. And our camp was located very close to the low pressure center of a stationary front. Although the wind was a nuisance, it was probably only blowing around 35 miles an hour. Meanwhile the record in Utah is 124 miles an hour –a wind gust measured at 11000 feet Snowbird. The strongest wind gust here in Logan was 94 miles an hour. Compare this to the highest wind on record anywhere—a gust measuring 253 miles per hour on Australia’s Barrow Island during a tropical cyclone. The record in the United States is 231 miles per hour on top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Higher wind speeds than these may occur in tornadoes, but anemometers tend to malfunction at extreme speeds .

Luckily, we don’t have to worry much about tornadoes. Utah ranks very low in terms of tornado frequency. We average 2-33 a year with most of them occurring May through August. Utah tornadoes tend to be small and not last very long. Whirlwinds or dust devils are much more common. About 90% of them occur in the West Desert where there is plenty of loose, dry dust and sand to swirl around in the air.

Thanks to Marty Booth of the Utah Climate Center for help in developing this Wild About Utah episode.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Photos: Courtesy US NOAA
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading:

National Weather Service (NOAA) “Dust Devils” https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/science/dustdvl.php?wfo=fgz [Accessed June 15, 2011] [Not available as of January 31, 2026]

Cooley, J.R., Dust devil meteorology, NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS CR-42, NOAA Repository (.gov), May 1971, https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/14125/noaa_14125_DS1.pdf [Added January 31, 2026]

National Weather Service (NOAA) Jetstream Online School for Weather. “Origin of Wind” https://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/synoptic/wind.htm [Accessed June 15, 2011]

National Weather Service (NOAA) Daily weather maps https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/ [hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/ Accessed June 15, 2011] [Updated January 31, 2026]

Utah Climate Center https://climate.usu.edu/ [Updated January 31, 2026]

Pope, Dan and Clayton Brough (eds.) Utah’s Weather and Climate. 1996. Salt Lake City: Publisher’s Press. https://www.amazon.com/Utah-Weather-Climate-D-Pope/dp/1567131743

Weather Service Photos: https://www.photolib.noaa.gov https://www.noaa.gov/digital-collections/collections/media/2409 [Updated January 31, 2026]

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Grow Native!

Fire ChaliceCopyright 2010 Annalisa Paul
Stokes Nature Center

With the beginning of summer at our doorstep, many of us look out over our green grass yards and dread the coming heat that will endeavor to turn it brown and stale. One might begin to ponder if there is an alternative to these plants that fill our yards and demand so much of our water. In fact, there is.

Utah may be a desert, but not one naturally devoid of vegetation. Many plants have evolved to live within the bounds of the climate, insect pests, microbes and soil types specific to our region. Once established, many native plants need minimal irrigation beyond normal rainfall. And because they have coexisted for eons, natives have developed their own defenses against many pests and diseases, resulting in minimal pesticide use.

Backyards, gardens, parks, and roadsides planted with native plants also provide wildlife with a “bridge” to the natural areas that remain, interspersed among our heavily developed communities. As the cornerstone of biological diversity, native plants also do the best job of providing food and shelter for our local animals. Ready to get planting? Here are two natives that would be easy, attractive, and low-maintenance additions to many Utah yards or gardens.

Littleleaf Mock Orange is a compact shrub which produces clusters of wonderfully fragrant white blossoms. In the wilds of Utah, it is often found growing in rock crevices and dry, gravelly areas, so it will likely do well in those bare, difficult parts of your yard. It is browsed by mule deer and also provides shelter for native birds.

Little leaf Mock Orange
Philadelphus microphyllus
Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Photographer: Stan Shebs

Fire Chalice, alternately known as hummingbird flower, is a low-profile plant with bright red tube-shaped flowers. The plant’s nectar is irresistible to hummingbirds and can help attract a number of native pollinators to your yard.

As with all plants, the right native must be matched with the right spot. Thankfully, there are native plants that thrive in every habitat imaginable. And the best thing is, natives include all different types of plants from mosses and ferns to wildflowers, shrubs and trees. A little bit of research should help you find the best species for your hot, dry slope, that wet swale in the back, or the dry shade under your trees.

For those interested in learning more, the Alterniscapes Garden Tour on June 25 provides an opportunity to view gardens in Millville, Nibley and Providence that feature water-wise and native plants. For more information on native plants or the Alterniscapes Tour, please visit us online at www.wildaboututah.org.

For the Stokes Nature Center and Wild About Utah, this is Andrea Liberatore.

Credits:

Photos: Courtesy & Copyright Annalisa Paul, Stokes Nature Center, logannature.org
Courtesy & Copyright: Intermountain Native Plant Growers Association, inpga.org
Little leaf Mock Orange image licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Photographer: Stan Shebs
Text:    Andrea Liberatore, Stokes Nature Center, logannature.org
For more information about the upcoming Alternascapes Garden Tour:
Cache Master Gardeners, Alternascapes Garden Tour, Saturday, Jun 25 – 11:00AM to 4:00PM, https://extension.usu.edu/cache/files/uploads/Alterniscapes%20Handout%20Bi-fold%20for%20Web.pdf

For more information about Utah’s native plants:

Utah Native Plant Society: https://www.unps.org

Utah Master Gardeners: https://extension.usu.edu/mastergardener/
Additional Reading:

United States Department of Agriculture, Plants Profile: Littleleaf Mock Orange. Found online at: https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PHMI4

United States Department of Agriculture, Plants Profile: Garrett’s Fire Chalice. Found online at: https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EPCAG

 

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Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper
Courtesy US FWS and
Photographer: Dave Menke

An ancient Latin proverb declares that: “Nature abhors a vacuum”. Every naturalist comes to learn that Nature also loves an exception. Sandpipers are a good example. Coastal beaches bring sandpipers to mind, their flocks either loafing about the upper beach or manically advancing and retreating just ahead of the surf line. Every beachcomber can picture the scene.

Imagine, then, hearing this solitary call during your hike past some montane stream, lake or beaver pond.

[Spotted Sandpiper recording, hosted by Western Soundscape Archive, J Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah Copyright 2007 Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections]

Spotted Sandpiper Habitat
Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Linda Kervin

That sure sounds like a sandpiper, but isn’t the context all wrong? Here you can trust your ears and not your experience. When the bird flushes and flies away on stiff shallow wing beats, you’ll see that the calling bird was indeed a Spotted Sandpiper, easily recognized by the dark spots that speckle its pale breast. This bird is sometimes called a “teeter peep” too, because it bobs its tail incessantly. Its an odd bird, for it is the male Spotted Sandpiper who tends nest and chicks, while the female busily courts other males. That’s polyandry and among birds, its very rare.

Unlike its more coastal kin, the Spotted Sandpiper is right at home in Utah’s high alpine habitats, just so long as it has shallow water and meadows in which to search for its invertebrate meals. Maybe the Spotted Sandpiper is not so exceptional after all, for the upthrust limestones, shales and other sedimentary rocks that compose many of our mountains were deposited under ancient seas that once inundated Utah. Perhaps the Spotted Sandpiper is just exceptional for its late arrival at that prehistoric beach party.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:
Audio: Spotted Sandpiper audio courtesy and Copyright Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections
Photos: Courtesy US FWS, Photographer Dave Menke
and habitat photo Courtesy & Copyright 2010 Linda Kervin
Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Spotted Sandpiper on Utahbirds.org, https://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesS-Z/SpottedSandpiper.htm