"We're excited to have our first two bison calves of the year, born last week. Typically between now and June we'll have 20 to 25 new calves. They weigh around 50 pounds at birth, and within a few hours they're up and running around. The cows, their moms, are very protective of them. The moms will often move away from the herd and maintain them individually for a while just to keep them safe. They're usually weaned within about six months but stay very close to their moms for the first year. Compared to the mature bison, calves have more of a reddish color and right now is the perfect time to see why that is — they're very hard to see in the tall, dry prairie grass, an example of protective coloring in the animal world."

Chris Ingebretsen, manager, Blue Mounds State Park, Luverne