Holding an adult male Anolis proboscis

Seattle native Shannon Bowley grew up exploring the wild landscapes of Washington State and at home, was often surrounded by pets of every imaginable kind.  Her love for the outdoors and wildlife only flourished as an adult, and you may find her poking about the rainy and moss-bearded forests of the Olympics and Cascades (and everywhere beyond and between!) which she leaves in close proximity to.

She is also very lucky for recent opportunities to explore the Neotropics of Ecuador,  particularly the area of Mindo, introduced to the birdy, buggy, spidery splendors in 2011 through her reliable naturalist partner, (and seasoned cloud forest veteran) James Christensen. He is a superb wildlife photographer.

Recently, she was fortunate enough to travel to Panama to work on volunteer projects for La MICA Biological Station, in El Copé, with Julie M. Ray. Guatemala is also a familiar place, as Shannon has many relatives living there. She is fascinated by the history and varied nature of the country and looks forward to exploring it more extensively, particularly the areas of Alta Verapaz and Petén.

Shannon used to fear spiders, as an unfortunate number of people do, but in keeping a jumping spider of the genus Phidippus as a pet, she overcame her fear and predictably, became utterly obsessed with them and their relatives.

A relatively shy creature herself, she spends much of her free time searching the outdoors for animals big and small, researching, refining her artwork and developing photos and videos. Her greatest joy comes out of collaborating with conservation groups for worthwhile causes, biologists and their studies as well as fellow nature photographers. It is her hope that in sharing her experiences, she will inspire others in the desire to actively protect fragile habitats and dwindling populations of wildlife.