It’s #EarthDay! 🌎🐾What a better way to celebrate than with a sneak peek of "Wild Wild South: South Carolina Edition!" Explore the state’s wild side with @hyattwild , from mountains to marshes and everything in between.
🎥 Watch the trailer and celebrate the beauty of South Carolina.
WILD WILD SOUTH: LOWCOUNTRY IS GETTING A SEASON 2 on @southcarolinaetv AND @pbs !!!!! 🐊✨💕
After all the gator encounters, getting stuck in storms, and sharing the magic of our Lowcountry with y’all - WE’RE GOING BACK FOR MORE!!
Can’t wait to take y’all back to my backyard!! 🫶🫶
PSA: GET LOST IN YOUR PASSION.
Don’t be afraid to get lost in the sauce. Get excited. Be obsessed. NERD. OUT.
When I talk about our wildlife, wildlife film, and conservation through education, I want to jump straight through the roof with excitement!🌞🐊🌸🪼✨
Sharing my excitement for discovery and curiosity in our natural world with y’all is my reason I jump both behind and in front of camera. Cause hopefully, if I share my passion with yall, my excitement ✨just might✨ rub off on ya.
And then? Together we can take that excitement and use it to fight to protect the natural places and critters that we share this planet with.
Be excited. Nerd out, be cringe, be passionate. If you’ve ever talked to me, you’ve probably heard me say: we need to be cornier in life.
Don’t hold yourself back from nerding out, cause dang, life is too short to pretend!🌞✨
As a wise woman once said, “To be cringe is to be free.”🫶
This is the biggest snail this side of the Mississippi!🐌✨
The Queen Crater snail- otherwise known as the Smoky Mountain Snail, is honkin huge-about the size of a golf ball- some getting even bigger than that! ⛳️
They’re a pretty rare find- they’re endemic to the southern appalachians, with strong populations in Tennessee. Outside of there, they’re considered a pretty rare sight due to habitat loss. 💔
FOLKS. WE GOTTA LOCK IN. We gotta save this cutie and his friends by keeping our wild spaces wild! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT WE CAN DO IT!!
Do it for him!❤️
I found this guy when filming in South Carolina’s little slice of the Smokies for the first epi of Wild Wild South- you can find the entire episode on @southcarolinaetv and YouTube! Link in bio!🍁
Have y’all seen this flavor of snail before?!🍁🐌
Y’ALL I’M SO EXCITED I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO I’M GNAWING ON THE WALLS LIKE A BEAVER.
Wild Wild South Season two episode ONE is out NOW on @southcarolinaetv ,YouTube, and the PBS app! Peep the link in my bio to watch! This episode is a good one, I guarantee it!✨🐌⛰️🌅🍁
So come on! Join me on an adventure as we chase the sunset in South Carolina’s slice of the Great Smoky Mountains!⛰️🌄
In this epi, we’re checking out the most GORGEOUS fall leaves at Table Rock state park, filming a bright neon spider with a golden web, finding the biggest land snail this side of the Mississippi, AND I’m introducing y’all to a salamander species that can BREATHE THROUGH ITS SKIN?🦎
What are y’all most excited to see?⬇️⬇️⬇️
Special thanks to the INCREDIBLE folks at @southcarolinaetv and @soundofffilms for EVERYTHING!✨🫶🏻🌞
These INCREDIBLE people and shows shaped who I am and what I do today.
🐊Steve Irwin taught me to NEVER hold back on sharing my passion for conservation and getting folks connected with the critters on our planet. He taught me that getting as excited as I am about animals off camera, ON CAMERA is one of the BEST ways to share my passion and encourage folks to dive in the same way!
🐵Jane Goodall taught me to dive headfirst into your passion and to NOT let ANYONE hold you back. She taught me to never wait for someone to give you “permission” to chase your dreams- and to just go for it! She taught me what it takes to be a trailblazer and absolutely SHATTER glass ceilings!
🐍Jeff Corwin taught me the power in having FUN outside, and that biology, science and conservation ARE inherently fun! And that just having fun with it and getting creative in using film/movie techniques are such a great way to keep the audience engaged!
All of these incredible people and incredible shows are what formed who I am today, no doubt.
But there was one thing missing…
Growing up, I never saw myself represented on TV- in the wildlife space, exploring, learning, and sharing. We need SO MUCH MORE representation in these spaces.
That’s why I decided to take the leap, and move from behind the camera right on up to the front- cause I know somewhere out there, there’s a little girl who will see the show and easily picture herself doing the same.🦋
Catch Wild Wild South Season TWO!!!! On @southcarolinaetv and YouTube! The first episode drops NEXT WEDNESDAY the 6th!✨🐍🦋
And of course, we couldn’t have done it without our friends at @soundofffilms ! ✨
Introducing MISS DOLLY!💕🐾✨🌻🌴🐠
This little raging ball of black fur has already gone on (mini) hikes, seen the ocean 🌊 , climbed rocks, stumps AND HER CAGE LIKE A LADDER???
While one might think she’s a black bear cub that I’ve brought into my home, she’s a half standard Yorkie and half Biewer terrier!
I grew up with yorkies, so it’s great to have one by my side again! And let me tell y’all, this working/hunting breed (yep, you read what I said!) puts the terror in terrier!👹👹👹
I love my chaotic bear daughter and I’m so excited to take her on all of our adventures!
Fun fact she’s currently biting me and @keon.cine while I write this post 💕😛
🦚Peacocks have it SOOOO hard here in South Florida. I mean look at him- fighting for his life just to stay awake while lounging in the grass on Key Biscayne.💤💤
While not native to Florida, these guys can be found roaming around parks and neighborhoods- often stopping traffic with their giant plumes and lack of fear/care! 🦚 🚗
I can’t just seem to figure out if they’re considered invasive or not! Either way, they deserve to be treated with respect. Cause remember- the only reason they’re this far from home is because of us!🤞🏼👏🏼🫛🐓
OKAY YALL I GOTTA COME CLEAN!
Why go outside and spend hours, days, even years to document our wildlife in their natural habitat? Why even use a camera? ✨
I just can’t wait to sit my butt inside in that sweet sweet AC, and just use a teensy bit of water to create an authentic, true to life documentary from the comfort of my own couch!🙌🏼✨Ain’t nothin finer than the great indoors!😜
Wanna know more? Check your calendar for today’s date!✨
✨🐚Y’ALL I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED!🩵✨
Baby Manatees, or tater tots as the locals call em, are incredibly curious little buddies!🩵 While on a shoot filming these adorable little sea sweet potatoes, this itty bitty little baby was curious about my camera, so she came up to investigate what I was up to and nibbled on my snorkel!💕
✨So, how did this happen? Well, I was minding my #ManateeManners!
My number one tip is to NEVER EVER EVER approach or touch any manatee!! When observing these incredible critters, just float on by and let them float on by you! If they feel like approaching you- FREEZE!! 🧊
Make yourself totally harmless to them by holding a still as possible- and don’t make any sudden movements! Which can be tough if they come up to you, but right here I was floatin like a leaf and locking literally every muscle and joint in my body to be as frozen as possible!😂 even though my heart rate was through the roof I was so exited 🤪
When swimming around these magical babies you want to make sure you’re trying your best to stay at least one body length away! Sometimes they may get closer to you like you see here- but never try to get that close on your own- you’ll scare the living daylights out of them! 😭
🚫It’s ILLEGAL for YOU to touch them, but they can come up and poke at you on their own- it’s kind of impossible to stop them as they’re so curious and intelligent❤️
Now here’s the hardest part- if they come up and touch you, as cuddly as they look, please do NOT touch them back- and yes, that means hugs 😭 Here you see a great example of how I was mentally hugging this baby and showing the most restraint I ever have in my life 😂
Remember!!!! We’re in their home! You wouldn’t want someone coming up to you and petting you in your house now would you?!🤨
I feel SOOOOOO incredibly lucky that this sweet little pea baby decided to come say hi! I have literally no words for how special this moment was 😭✨
Anyway I’m gonna continue freaking out about his till the day I’m gone from this earth lawd BYE 😭😭😭😭😭
Thank you SO much to @ecobeachbabe with @birds_underwater for being the best film guides EVER!
Roll the credits!✨🐊🫶
Grateful for all 2025’s amazing adventures with the best folks and critters around!! I just can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store!! This next epi is fixin’ to be a good one, I know it!! ✨🦌🐸🐬🐎🌞🐚
P.S why does insta only allow 20 tags per post 😭
YALL I’M SO EXCITED THAT YALL THINK GAR ARE JUST AS CUTE AS I DO😭❤️💕✨🐟🫧
I could go on and on all day all about these curious lil fishies! But they are just the most fun to film not only because of their big ol’ eyes, but also because of their adorable personalities!!🫧💕
But don’t let their curiousity fool you! At night they become vicious predators- they’re ambush hunters, lying in wait to hunt small fish, crustaceans and even bugs!👹
I personally think they’re the cutest fish on earth 😤
