Mark's Garden - The Flowerbeds of Timbavati Wildlife Park

As winter draws to a close I think about Timbavati Wildlife Park and the blooming foliage that is the backdrop to our lives and animal family. Spring is on its way and the trees begin to bud and blossom. The grass begins to grow again and one by one, the bulbs from our flowers begin to sprout from our flowerbeds.

When the temperatures get high enough, the bees begin their busywork bouncing from flower to flower seeking their sweet nectars and carrying pollen from plant to plant aiding the winds that they ride upon in assisting the reproductive cycle of the plants that we depend upon for oxygen.

Which brings me to my thought for this week, does the bee consider if the blossom it frequents is a flower or a tree? Is the blossom of an apple stronger to attraction than the bell of a lily. In a world where we constantly look at fauna as our foundation, the flora is our common thread for every interaction that our guests have. A bee buzzes by a blade of grass without thought but theres something about a bloom, again does a bee prefer the blossom of a flower or a tree?

The flower provides a tapestry, woven in earth reaching to heaven and greeting our strolling paths with equal availability for both us and the bee. The tree provides us relief and safety in the form of the shade that it provides to its ability to stand up to a gust of winds bellowing fury.

Regardless to which blossom the bee prefers, the benefit to us is beyond measure. In that spirit, I consider the cycle of the bee and the blossom to be akin to some of us who buzz from person to person and those of us who bloom, flower and nurture the bees that we encounter. As bees, I don’t know which we prefer, flowers or trees, but I am sure that we probably need a steady balance between the two.

I knew a tree whose shade sheltered everyone who was willing to stand under its strong branches. This tree’s limbs were mighty and though the wind might have shook its leaves from time to time, the tree never faltered. For its strength and steadfastness the tree provided a home in its bosom for a beautiful flower, so that every bee who visited the tree experienced a proper balance.

The time for trees and flowers have seasons and fragility attached to them. The honey created by the bees offers us a taste that serves our memories as they do not discriminate which blossom they’ve cultivated their honey from, only that it existed and we remembered it was good to us.

I guess I just really appreciate buzzing by trees and flowers. Literally and metaphorically they are to be treasured, respected, cared for, honored and uplifted. When a tree is uprooted or a flower begins to wilt, though it is no longer there to provide, what it gives us in its time is usually much more than it ever had to. I’m a bee hoping to one day be a tree. In this week’s video our beloved Mark Schoebel talks about what he thinks about when he looks at the ground he is planted in, Timbavati Wildlife Park.

Talk with you next week my friends.

Owl Monkey

Greetings my friends and welcome to this week’s topic, the owl monkey. The owl monkey or night monkey as it’s also called hails from Central and South America. The owl monkey inhabits the trees of the tropical rainforests and can also be found in lowland forests. It makes sense that it stays as far as it can off of the ground; it’s a lightweight that only weighs up to about 2 pounds.

The big eyes on these little critters are perfect for seeing in low level light. The downside to having such big peepers is that they are actually color blind. Another wild characteristic about the owl monkey is that is has extremely small ears. Its scientific name is Aotus which translates into “earless.”

This nocturnal creature enjoys a diet made up mostly of fruit but leaves and insects are also on the menu. Owl monkeys live in family groups. The male and female will mate for life and the gestation period for the owl monkey is 4 months. The offspring will be a part of the group until they reach sexual maturity, usually around the age of 3 years old.

The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park stop over into our Interaction Area and check out our Owl Monkeys. Talk to you all next week!

The Grasslands of Timbavati Wildlife Park

The Grasslands Area at Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to some of our most beloved denizens of the park. Our Safari Train Ride takes you into green pastures where you get to hand feed a lot of really cool animals.

Our kudu and nilgai are staples of the Safari Train Ride, they are carrot hunters for sure. If you have a cup of carrots, they will come a calling. Whether by train or by foot, all of our visitors enjoy stopping by our Giraffe and Camel Encounter. This staple of the Grasslands Area is part of what turns your visit to our park into an adventure.

Rounding out our hooved habitat we have addax, zebras, wildebeest, and sable antelope. This grouping of animals is unique because you’ll rarely come face to face with even these majestic creatures in a lifetime and Timbavati Wildlife Park is one place in the Wisconsin Dells where you can see them all at once. Here’s an exclusive look at the area in this week’s video.

Today is National Hippo D

Today is National Hippo Day! #HappyHippoDay #NationalHippoDay #Hippopotomus

Adopt A Rabbit Month

Did you know that February is Adopt a Rabbit month? It sure is, this month serves as a great reminder that rabbits need homes too! Especially the ones that took left turns at Albuquerque!

Rabbit

Creator

Mitsuhiro Ōhara (Japanese, 1810–1875), Japan

Original source via Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wildebeests

Greetings friends and welcome to the world of the wildebeest. This native of Africa can be found in the southern half of Africa and is also referred to as a gnu, that’s Gnood Gnews (Great Space Coaster reference). The wildebeest is one of the largest antelopes, from head to tail it can be 8 feet and weigh up to 600 pounds.

The wildebeest looks like a lot of other members of the bovine family in front with slim hind legs like any other antelope. Both the male and the female have horns. The wildebeest also has a mane like a horse.  

Wildebeests live in herds comprised of males females and young. During migrations large herds comprised of all kinds of antelope all move together for safety and well because they’re all following the fresh water sources and grazing pastures. That’s what the herbivores are doing, the carnivores however, follow the migration herds so to that effect the wildebeest would have beef with lions, hyenas, cheetahs and African wild dogs.

Males attract females by rubbing their scent into the ground. The gestation period for a female is 8.5 months and she will give birth to a single calf. The calf can walk at birth and is ready to run with the rest of the herd a few days after birth.

Here are more fun facts in this week’s video and we will talk with you all next week!

Cordova Ice Worm Day

Today is Cordova Iceworm Day! Yes happy Iceworm day to all of you! You’ve never heard of the Cordova Iceworm? LOL Neither Had I, until I was thumbing through a calendar of events and I saw this day about Ice Worms and I’m like, this is snazzy. Here’s the story!

In 1898 EJ “Stroller” White got hired to write for the Klondike Nugget in Alaska on the condition that he would help improve sales. A snowstorm hit and in the wake of this snowstorm Stroller discovered Ice Worms! He wrote about them and both newspaper sales and tourism soared.

A few years passed and the worms returned back to their glacial homes and became the stuff of legend. Bartenders were even freezing spaghetti noodles for tourists who were seeking to get an authentic Ice Worm cocktail. In observance of this event and the boon that it brought to Alaska, every year around this time they have a Cordova Iceworm Festival!

Here’s to the worm that moved an economy!

Happy Groundhog Day!

If you’re wondering how Groundhog Day got started, here is the story behind its origins! Groundhogs are most famously known for the American tradition of predicting the end of winter. Each year on February 2 which is Groundhog Day, the Groundhog is brought out to see if it notices its own shadow. If it sees its shadow then it is believed that we will have 6 more weeks of Winter. If February 2 is overcast, the legend says the Groundhog will not see its own shadow and we will have a mild ride for the rest of the Winter.

I took a look at the origin of this tradition and found that it started in Europe as Candlemas Day. This is a derivative of the Pagan observance of Imbolc. Imbolc observes the first changes in the Sun and the first sprouts of buds. The wheel was switching from the position of the Crone to the position of the Maiden, or Winter to Spring.

Early Christians observed this with clergy distributing blessed candles on Candlemas Day to the people in the dark of Winter. A lighted candle was to be placed in the window of each home. The day's weather mattered also because an overcast Candlemas Day meant that the worst part of winter was behind you.

The earliest reference to the Groundhog being a part of Candlemas day came from James Morris' diary in 1841. This credited the Groundhog adaptation to the Germans in Pennsylvania. If the Groundhog saw his shadow then he went back to hibernating, if he stayed awake and moved around then again the worst of winter was over.

The most famous Groundhog in the United States is Punxsutawney Phil. At 7:25 a.m. every February 2nd, Phil is brought out to make his prediction. One thing that most people don't know is a Groundhog is referred to as a Woodchuck because the Native Americans considered all Groundhogs to be descendants of "Wojak the Groundhog".

Enjoy the day!