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| Yearling bull moose plucking young aspen leaves |
Yearling moose (Alces alces) head off on their own around this time of year - but not always by choice. As young calves they followed mom around through the deep winter snow. But as spring turns to summer, mom starts getting a little impatient with their lingering presence. She is driven to breed again, and she can't have a teenager hanging around her forever.
Fortunately, the leaves are at their nutritional peak in early summer, so the young moose that made it through winter will get a healthy boost just as they are moving towards independence, and as the males start growing their first set of antlers. A mouth full of tender aspen leaves hits the spot for young and old moose alike.
