Early Life
Graphic by Sharon
Wilson was born in Birmingham, Alabama. From an early age, he was interested in natural history. His parents divorced when he was seven. The young naturalist grew up in several cities and towns, moving around with his father and his stepmother. He attended 14 schools in 11 years.
At 9 years old, Wilson undertook his first expeditions at the Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. He began collecting insects and gained a passion for butterflies. He started developing a fascination for ants.
At 13, Wilson discovered a colony of non-native fire ants near the docks in Mobile, Alabama and reported his finding to the authorities.
At 18 years of age, he was set on becoming an entomologist (a scientist who studies insects), driving him to begin collecting flies. However, the shortage of insect pins caused by World War II caused him to switch to ants, which did not require these pins and could be stored in vials. Wilson even conducted a survey of all the ants in Alabama.