12
Nov

Not just birds in Charleston ……….

This was the largest alligator at Magnolia Plantation – 12 feet long. This was a plantation for rice paddies which have long been abandoned. Cotton was never grown here.  The areas of rice paddies are now areas of impounded water – this was one of them. Slanted boards have been placed to allow all the reptiles to sun and the alligators make good use of them.
Fish for lunch!

Even though we were in Charleston, SC in November, the gardens and parks were still beautiful.  The weather was balmy – the sky an incredible blue the entire week.  We spent a day at the Magnolia Plantation.  The house tour was excellent.   We did take the nature tram tour but for me, it was disappointing.  Instead of nature, there was a whole lot of history.  I like history and our guide inside the house was just wonderful – a perfect blend of fact and stories.  I could have listened to her all afternoon.  But when I go on a ‘Nature Tour’ tram, then what I expect is for the guide to talk about nature.  I want to know about the all trees we are passing, the birds we are seeing and hearing, the perennials planted in the garden beds, how all of it is maintained to such a high standard, what other animals live on the property.  And who designed the gardens?  What is native?  What plants and trees were brought from outside the southeastern U.S.?  What was here before the original builder and landscaper started changing everything?  And there was little of that.  The only ‘nature’ the guide talked about was alligators.  Lots and lots of talk about alligators.  And as you can see by these photos, we saw several.  And a few turtles.  From the comments I heard as we all disembarked at the end of the tour, I was the only one who was disappointed – everyone else loved the tour.  It seems this tour is giving the people what they want – alligators!

Yellow-bellied Sliders are common.

A word of caution if you take this tour – first, unless there is an obstacle in the road, the tram never stops.  It does

We saw this lizard in the gardens close to the house. I am by no means knowledgeable about lizards, but my friend Mitch is. I sent him the photo and he confirmed – this is a Green Anole. Very common around Charleston, SC. Loves living in gardens. Photo by our good friend Matt.

slow down but never comes to a halt so beware if you are a photographer.  All photos will be shot as the tram is moving.  And secondly – and this was a source of great amusement for everyone – the tram has 4 seats across.  4 very narrow seats.  Not made for American bottoms.  The guide laughingly told everyone that is the number one thing everyone immediately notices.  He assured us they never book a sold-out tram but take into consideration that 3 people fit much better in a row than 4.  November is their off-season, it was mid-week, and the tram was not full.  But keep that in mind if you are there on a weekend or during the spring and summer.  Broad shoulders and hips are not an asset on this tram!