A key plant in the diet of all bears is one that grows widely in K-Country, is distinctive and also easily found. There’s no plant in K-Country with a larger leaf – often 2’ across when fully mature – and few that are taller. Cow Parsnip is bear food in the spring and fall shoulder seasons either side of berry season.
In September, as berry season fades in the valleys and frost kills the berry plants, Grizzlies in particular will start moving up towards the alpine. The first and easiest plant they’ll find to eat is Cow Parsnip with their tall, distinctive white flowers. Remember, bears hunt with their noses and Cow Parsnip flowers… stink. Find a marshy, wet spot, or creek or river course anywhere in K-Country, and you’ll find Cow Parsnip. You can’t miss it by September; it can grow to 6’ tall before deep freezes kill it off. And best for bears: the roots are still edible after it’s dead.
Black Bears eat kinnikinnik spring and fall either side of berry season, and research shows they seem to prefer their Cow Parsnip more in spring than fall. But grizzlies eat Cow Parsnip in both shoulder windows equally. All parts of the Cow Parsnip are edible for bears. Stems and roots are high in fibre but low in protein, only on the order of 10%; leaves are up to 30% protein. However, given their druthers (and a lot of Cow Parsnip), they’ll first eat the stems, next dig up the roots, and skip leaves entirely. One dead giveaway a bear has been chowing down on Cow Parsnip is a sea of dead Cow Parsnip leaves around chopped off stems. That’s a common sight in mid-to late-September in places like the Commonwealth Valley on the way to the Birdwood Lakes, or in Pocaterra & Ptarmigan Cirque – where everyone goes to see larches at that time! It’s no wonder we have conflict at larch season. Anywhere you’ll find larches, you’ll find Cow Parsnip and grizzly bears.
Cow Parsnip may be good for bears, but it’s not wise for you to touch it. It contains furanocoumarins in the plant’s sap. Get that on your skin and expose it to a bit of sunlight and we guarantee you’ll get itchy, red rashes and possibly blisters. The Bow Valley Stewards remove Cow Parsnip from places like Camp Chief Hector, and whenever they do that, they almost have to wear hazmat suits.
That having been said, if you can figure out how NOT to get sap on you, Cow Parsnip is really edible. Peel the outer stem, and you can eat the inner stem raw or by cooking it. Dig up the roots and you have yourself something similar to a parsnip (probably why they’re called Cow Parsnip, but we’re not good enough biologists to know if the two plants are related). If you see dead Cow Parsnip stems, you’ll note they are fibrous, tough and hollow; you can make flutes and whistles from them, but realize those furanocoumarins may still be there and your lips could sting.
If you’re going larch-peeping, keep your eyes out for Cow Parsnip. If you see a dense patch like the one in the picture (and yes, every white dot is a Cow Parsnip, and most aren’t even flowering), make a ton of noise, and watch for tall plants swaying where they shouldn’t be. Watch along your way for giant dead leaves and possibly dug up plants. These are the dead giveaways you’ve just walked into a bear’s dining room, and they aren’t paying attention to you.
See more of the beautiful flowers of Kananaskis Country here!