The first installment of our first ever miniseries is here--Phylum: Porifera! Sponges are often overlooked aside from Spongebob Squarepants and cleaning. It's time that changed. Dive into the amazing life history of sponges! What is the phylum? You might remember that from school: Kingdom phylum, class, order, family, genus, species? There's a lot of ways … Continue reading Phylum: Porifera
Author: Devon Bowker
An Absolutely Major Announcement
The Wild Life was born out of a desire to help alleviate something that, at the time, we were calling the nature accessibility gap. Initially, it was clear that this gap existed along economic and other demographic lines, exposing a stark pattern of under-representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) individuals and communities in … Continue reading An Absolutely Major Announcement
The Wild Life of the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth
Order| Lepidoptera Species| Lycomorpha pholus Uh-ah, you know what it is—the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth! “Wait, black and yellow? They’re clearly orange-er, right?” Who knows what they were thinking. One thing’s for sure though, mimicry is their flex. As caterpillars, when they spend most of their time munching on a symbiotic snack of lichen, they texturally … Continue reading The Wild Life of the Black-and-Yellow Lichen Moth
A Rare Blue Bee Found in Florida for 1st Time in 4 Years
In a patch sandy scrub in southern Lake Wales Ridge in Highlands County, Florida, A rare blue bee has been spotted for the first time in 4 years. Osmia calaminthae, the Blue Calaminthae bee, named for its distinct dark blue color and it’s host plant, the Ashe’s calaminthae (or mint), is a rare find. Its … Continue reading A Rare Blue Bee Found in Florida for 1st Time in 4 Years
The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon
Order| Columbiformes While it may come as a shock, the Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is indeed a Pigeon. It’s also the closest living relative of the now extinct Dodo bird! These birds are named for an island chain of the coast of India where many of them live, though they can be found all the … Continue reading The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon
The Journey So Far
The other day, I was going through a pile of junk (which I have a lot of) and came across this. This intentionally blurred piece of paper was the very beginning of #TheWildLife. It’s just a bunch of notes and ideas that I was jotting down while I tried to decide what I wanted to … Continue reading The Journey So Far
The Wild Life of Red Pandas
Red Panda Order| Carnivora Family| Ailuridae Red Panda's, like the Giant Panda, eat mostly bamboo (and are impossibly adoreable). But here's the thing, they aren't pandas. They're actually more closely related to skunks and raccoons, and make up their own subfamily alongside skunks, raccoons, and weasels. Much like the Eau de Popcorn smelling Binturong, the … Continue reading The Wild Life of Red Pandas
88.1 KVSC Interview: The Untold Story of Distance Learning During COVID-19 with ISD 742’s Devon Bowker, Science Teacher, Naturalist, and Blogger
KVSC, the radio station of my Alma Mater, St Cloud State University, recently interviewed new for there segment ‘Untold Stories of Central MN’. It aired on Earth Day 2020 and was an incredible honor and opportunity to speak about my passions. For those of you more familiar with The Wild Life side of my life, … Continue reading 88.1 KVSC Interview: The Untold Story of Distance Learning During COVID-19 with ISD 742’s Devon Bowker, Science Teacher, Naturalist, and Blogger
The Wild Life’s 50th Episode Celebration: Live Trivia Show!
Well, we’ve come a long way. We’re at our 50th episode! We will be hosting a live show on Zoom!and YOU are invited. On May 1st at 7pm CT, we’ll be playing trivia (of course, based on topics from our first 49 episodes [and no, you don’t have to have listened to all of them … Continue reading The Wild Life’s 50th Episode Celebration: Live Trivia Show!
Snakes in the Basement?
Snakes don't do things without reason or purpose. Nothing does. Virtually all questions of animal behavior can be answered by thinking of the most common sense, energetically efficient (aka, lazy) reason that you can.
Interview| Listen to Devon on Hiking Thru Life!
Recently, I sat down for an interview with the Hiking Thru Life podcast. It was an absolute joy and such a surreal experience to be on the other side of things. We talked about my experiences, my why, The Wild Life, and of course hiking and nature tips. Check it out! https://hikingthrulife.net/podcast/ Or listen on … Continue reading Interview| Listen to Devon on Hiking Thru Life!
November Membership Drive!
If you become a member during the November Membership Drive, we'll double your first two months conscious conservation contribution through the Wildlife Ambassadors programs to 20%!
Become a Wildlife Ambassador
So, here’s the thing: we, at this moment, are rolling out a new newy thing. It’s super cool—the Wildlife Ambassador program! Basically, when you become a member at Patreon.com/TheWildLife, you can pick a species of some kind of personal importance to you and we will donate 10% of your contributions each month to either a … Continue reading Become a Wildlife Ambassador
Home Is Where The Log Is: A Velvet Worm Short Story
When most people think of Australia, their mind conjures up images of a Mad Maxian landscape—brick red sand blemished with gray-green freckles of saltbrush. Standing tall in a rigid defiance, the occasional gum or eucalyptus serves as safe haven for koalas and kookaburras under a big hard sun. Maybe they think of the Great Barrier … Continue reading Home Is Where The Log Is: A Velvet Worm Short Story
Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!
This past weekend as I sat below an old oak tree while drinking my morning cup of coffee and looking out on a glassy Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota, something fell from the sky and landed at my feet. Small and curled up like a slightly puff green and yellow sour gummy worm. It's face … Continue reading Is it a Worm? Is it a Wasp? No! It’s the Elm Sawfly!
Sunday Fish Sketch| The Cookiecutter Shark
Prepare to learn about a whole new kind of Cookie Monster on this #SharkWeek themed #SundayFishSketch...and this one glows!
Sunday Fish Sketch| Freshwater Elephantfish
This #SundayFishSketch comes from Ichthyologist, Rene Martin. Visit her shop on InPrint to see more of her artwork or to order prints! Meet the Freshwater Elephantfish Mormyridae Mormyridae is an African family of 200 or so species in the biological order Osteoglossiformes. Oddly enough, but fitting in line with the peculiar and weirdly specific nature of systematics, … Continue reading Sunday Fish Sketch| Freshwater Elephantfish
The Dragonhunter
In the skies across Minnesota (and much of the eastern US and southeastern Canada, for that matter), roams a fierce and agile predator, capable of taking down prey you would never imagine---and some many wouldn't dare to try at themselves. Hagenius brevistylus, is a clubtail dragonfly known as the Dragonhunter, and is one of nearly … Continue reading The Dragonhunter
When a Spider isn’t a Spider
If you're reading this right now, you might be realizing that we're about to be playing a game of semantics (systematics, rather). For many, if it looks like a Spider, that's all they need to know to shiver in disgust and engage in fight, freeze, or flight. It may be pretentious to dwell on the … Continue reading When a Spider isn’t a Spider
A Sneak Peak at Some Upcoming Episodes
As September 1st approaches and the metamorphosis of The Wild Life continues, we wanted to give you a sneak peak at some of our upcoming episodes.
New Horizons: The Future of The Wild Life
#TheWildLife is setting out on new horizons. Now not only is our show available wherever you get your podcast, but starting September 1st, we will be releasing new episodes every single Friday! Plus, we're starting a new weekly blog schedule!
Get your head out of the sand! Ostriches are actually pretty amazing.
It's #ThursdayBirdsday! This week, it's time to bust some myths, bow down in awe, and learn something new about the big birds that look like emus. (Rhyming was the only reason for that last bit and I don't regret it.) You’re probably wondering why the ostrich in the main image seems so shocked. Well, then … Continue reading Get your head out of the sand! Ostriches are actually pretty amazing.
After the Hike| Hike @ Night with HIKEhoppers at Warner Lake Park
#TWLHikingClub Tuesday| This past Saturday, I joined a local non-profit called HIKEhoppers on a glow-stick laden, s'mores filled night hike at Warner Lake County Park in Clearwater, MN. Here's how it went!
TWL Hiking Club| Hike @ Night with HIKEhoppers and The Wild Life + a Big Announcement!
The Wild Life is joining forces with HIKEhoppers, a central MN non-profit organization, whose vision we share to connect people to nature through hiking events and educational learning experiences.
At 8:30 pm this Saturday, 6/15, join us for a night hike at Warner Lake Park in Clearwater, MN!
The American Goldfinch
A few days back while at the park with my son, we were sitting beneath a shady cedar tree watching a family of Canada Geese graze in the grass when, from above, came a familiar summer song--- po-ta-to chip, po-ta-to chip.
TWL Hiking Club| Savanna Portage State Park
It's #TWLHikingClub Tuesday! Check out why Savanna Portage State Park is one of our all-time favorites.
The Trouble with Trilobites
It's #FossilFriday, and you know what that means---fossils. Big surprise, right? This week, with an unoriginal but begging to be used titular parody on the classic Star Trek episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles"---we're talking trilobites. Here is my trilobite. It was a gift from my brother (podcast co-host) he picked up at a rock convention. … Continue reading The Trouble with Trilobites
Spot the Difference: Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers
It's #BirdThurs here at #TheWildLife. This week, learn how to tell the difference between a Down and Hairy Woodpecker!
Hoary Puccoon
This #WildflowerWednesday, we take a look at one of my personal favorites—the Hoary Puccoon.
Sunday Fish Sketch| The Common Sea Dragon
This #SundayFishSketch comes from Ichthyologist, Rene Martin. Visit her shop on InPrint to see more of her artwork or to order prints! Meet the Common Sea Dragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus While it may be a dragon by name, the Common Sea Dragon is no more a dragon than a sea horse is a horse. One, it would be … Continue reading Sunday Fish Sketch| The Common Sea Dragon