After a little hiatus and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, we're back! We had a great time celebrating withe friends and family, but are happy to be back in the podcast studio! This episode is about some strange plants that you may have seen, but maybe didn't know what they were. We're talking about parasitic plants, but these plants aren't your run of the mill parasites, they are funky, spooky, and fascinating! Join Gabrielle and I on the back porch as we tal...

Here's a bonus episode! Since we were talking about local legends, we decided to podcast from the 2025 Bigfoot Festival in Marion, NC. Join us as we walk around the festival, talk to a few vendors and bigfoot investigators, and even listen in on a Bigfoot calling contest! We had a great time, met some great folks, and enjoyed a great festival. Check out the links below for more info on the festival, our "interviewees", and more! SASQUATCH ODYSSEY: https://paranor...

Hey everyone and welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side! We finish up our three part series on the local legends of South Carolina with one of Gabrielle's favorite legends of the Lowcountry, the Gray Man. This legend is a prognosticator of hurricanes and landfall, often protecting the person and property he reveals himself to. The legend started in the 1800's in Pawley's Island, SC and has persisted to this day. There are different versions, but all have a similar ou...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and we are road trippin' for part 2 of our "Local Legends of South Carolina" series! This time, we're up in Union County, where a local legend is well known by folks in the area, but maybe not known outside of this area of South Carolina. Goshen Hill Plantation was the site of a settlement where a man was wrongfully hanged for a murder he didn't commit, and both he and his faithful dog were executed in a wrongful rush...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and while we were out on a road trip, Gabrielle had a wonderful idea to do a three part series of "Local Legends of South Carolina"! Our first part takes us east of Columbia near Camden. While out on a road trip that included Buc-ee's and Swan Lake in Sumter, I wanted to share the location of our first local legend in the Scape Ore Swamp of Bishopville. Join us to learn of the phenomenon that took place in the late 8...

It's time for another episode and this time, we're talking about a bird that is so often heard but not seen. Often called rain crows, due to being heard calling before approaching storms, these birds get a bad rap as nest parasites, but our yellow billed cuckoos don't that that too often. Join us on the backporch, along with the lightning bugs, chucks, whippoorwills, and even a screech owl stops by, all to listen and learn about the cuckoos. I guess you can say they are also...

While sitting on the porch last night, preparing to record another episode, we heard chuck-wils-widows and whippoorwills calling and thought, why record another episode when we can bring back a blast from the past and re-post "Goatsuckers Galore", one of our first podcasts from 2021! Join our trip down memory lane and learn about these amazing birds collectively called goatsuckers or nightjars, which include some of the serenades of summer from these large, cryptically colored, an...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side and our second part of Wandering in Yellowstone! Part 2 takes Gabrielle and I into the hot springs, geysers, and thermal areas of Yellowstone, as well as wandering through Lamar Valley, the Serengeti of North America. We'll share observations of these amazing areas, some of the wildlife we saw, as well as some of the historic sites like Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and the Old Faithful Inn, and the gorgeous natural...

Yellowstone is America's first National Park and they couldn't have picked a better one to start off the amazing resource we have as the National Parks. It has been a dream of ours to get to this area, and here we are! Join us for a multiple part series as we travel the beauty and natural wonders that is Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons National Park. For part 1, we travel the Grand Teton Loop Road and with perfect weather, we see this magnificent park in all it's be...

Monarch butterflies are probably one of the most well known butterflies but are also have secrets that scientists have yet to crack! Join Gabrielle and I on the back porch with special guest, Gabrielle's long-time friend from gradeschool and flower extraordinaire, Jamie Bourquin. After planting pollinator plants in our new pollinator yard, we chat about this amazing butterfly, their incredible journey, and other fun facts that will hopefully inspire our listeners to look more clos...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side! It's hard to believe, but we've never really explored the amazing alligator. An incredibly well adapted species that hasn't changed much from its ancestor over 200 million years ago, the American Alligator has survived two extinction events and human persecution to once again survive and thrive. Join Marvin and Gabrielle as they chat about this marvel of evolution, their biology, adaptations, and some great questions...

Hey everyone, it's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side Podcast! For this episode, we're ringing in Spring with the bells, the OCONEE BELLS (Shortia galacifolia)! Spring has sprung, as you learned from our last episode. However, it wouldn't be spring without the Oconee Bells! This beautiful but small wildflower is one of the earliest blooming spring ephemerals in the Appalachians, is quite rare but locally abundant, and has a very interesting discovery ...

Spring has sprung here in the Southeast and the chan changes are all around us! Have you ever stopped to think why spring even happens? What are the changes happening and what triggers these changes around us? Join Marvin and Gabrielle on the back porch as they talk about the changes around them and what causes the blooming, frogs calling, birds singing, and more as spring is, well, springing! Here are some websites for more information: https://www.livescience.com/24728-spr...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side! This time, we're chatting about good ol' Ricky Raccoon. These little mammals are probably one of the most recognizable mammals in North America and most people either love 'em or hate 'em! These little masked bandits are fun to watch and it's easy to be amazed at their ability to open almost any trashcan and figure out latches, locks, and gates. Of course, this is also the reason why many get so frustrated with...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side Podcast and this one is special because it marks a milestone for Gabrielle Bouknight and me...it marks the trip to Minnesota and we FINALLY saw great gray owls! Not only great grays, but two other species as well, a verifiable "HOOTAPALOOZA"! Come with us on our trip in this special episode from northern Minnesota and share our amazing experience! Here's some websites from our episode: https://saxzim.org https://wti...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side! This last podcast of the year follows Marvin and Gabrielle on a mission. When a group of soldiers are sent on a specific mission, it is called a sortie, and that's what we are doing. We are on a mission to find short-eared owls and our "sortie" takes us to northeast Ohio to ring in the New Year with family! This year, short-eared owls have descended upon a few places in Ohio and this one place did not disappoin...

It's that time of year and Christmas is just around the corner! One of the symbols of Christmas is mistletoe and it is actually a fascinating plant and it's pretty interesting how it became a symbol of Christmas. Join Marvin and Gabrielle as they usher in the holidays and spread Christmas cheer with some interesting facts about this amazing little plant. Here's some websites for further reading: https://blog.nwf.org/2012/12/12-things-to-know-about-mistletoe/ https://fwbg.o...

It's time for another episode of Walkin' on the Wild Side! This time, Gabrielle and I are talking about the successful reintroduction of Elk in the Southeast. Hunted into extinction in the 1700's and 1800's, this second largest member of the deer family has been reintroduced to North Carolina in the 2000's, but not without headaches and issues. Join us as we chat about the successes, challenges, and essential collaborations that made the reintroduction of a majestic animal i...

Our final two days in Iceland are packed adventures and experiences as we go from Selfloss to Keflavik. We went through a National Park, experienced a few more waterfalls, geysers, and interesting history. We also baked bread in volcanic soil, took in a few more spas, and got up close and personal at the historic fissure and lava eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula. What a great trip and once in a lifetime experience Walkin' on the Wild Side! Here's some great information: ...

Welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side! We continue our adventure on the Ring Road in Iceland, from the northern area of Husavik to the southeastern town of Hofn. We go from snowy fields to glaciers, icebergs, and volcanic beaches. Join us to learn more about this beautiful country that truly is the land of ice and fire! From hot geothermal fields, volcanic lava fields, and lava caves, to icy lagoons, glaciers, and icebergs. Awesome geothermal spas, delicious i...