This black bear cub stood up by leaning on momma bear…

Cub Leaning on Momma Bear

Here are a couple more pictures of a Momma Bear with Three Little Cubs…

Mamma Bear and Three Little Cubs

Black Bear Family

My wife got some nice shots through a window recently when a black bear with three cubs went through the backyard. Here are the first couple of pictures; we’ll be posting more black bear pictures in the coming days.

Black Bear and Three Cubs

Closeup Shot of Mamma Bear and one of her Cubs

It is National Park Week now, running through April 24, 2011. If you do not already have an annual pass to Shenandoah National Park, it’s a great time to visit now with the redbuds blooming and temporary free admission.

Black Bear in Shenandoah National Park

Of course, if you’re in east Tennessee or Western North Carolina, you can visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park for free 365 days a year…

If interested, here’s a link to some photos (scroll down) of a black bear eating a deer in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. While black bear are ominivores, they mainly eat vegetation such as berries and nuts. They also dine on insects, but are opportunistic feeders. My guess is that the buck was struck by a car before the bear happened along.