West Coast Creature Feature-The Beautiful Banana Slug

On May 24, I spent about 20 minutes watching urban elementary school students interact with this banana slug. It was amazing, because half an hour before meeting the slug, the students were afraid to leave the path for fear of getting "dirty"
by smallgirl

Yes, banana slugs are beautiful!! These fabulous friends of the forest can be found in West Coast rainforests, and are the largest slug species native to the area. A banana slug is a "decomposer," meaning that it helps break down organic materials on the forest floor. These amazing creatures have no legs, so rely on slime to propel themselves across the forest floor. They actually move quite fast and are very friendly! I love picking up banana slugs and introducing them to children, who are fascinated by their tentacles (used to sense light) and sliminess.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Weekly Bear #10- "Remembear" that a baby bear is a baby bear!

It's Spring and on the West Coast that means that baby black bears and grizzly bears are emerging with their parents. They are soooo fluffy, and soooo cute, and soooo totally still BEARS!

Grizzly bear cub by smallgirl
Black bear cub by smallgirl

Cute as they are, bears are wild animals and should not be fed, pet, touched, or interacted with in any way by people. Each year, many black bears are destroyed here on the West Coast because of negative interactions with humans. We can all live together safely if we follow a few basic precautions like: if you live in bear country, store your trash and pet food properly, clean up and pick fruit from fruit trees quickly, leash your pets when hiking, and travel in areas known to have bears in groups and with caution.

Check out this amazing video for more information about why bears are deserving of our respect:
http://vimeo.com/65780506

Long Time No Teddy Forest!

Happy Spring from Teddy Forest

Hello from Teddy Forest! Although there has been a lot of beauty, fun, and bears going on lately, there has also been some fear, sadness, and general turmoil, which has prevented me and the bears from sharing lately and has stalled the Weekly Bear ATC project. Hopefully things will get back on track soon! In the meantime, I leave you with some shots of spring so far.

Ensatina by smallgirl

Mallard and ducklings by smallgirl

West Coast Black Bear by smallgirl

Keep it joyful, and see you soon :)