A few miles inland from Charleston is the Magnolia Plantation which is where I have been today. When it was operating (up until the end of the Civil War) it was a rice plantation but after rice production stopped, mother nature reclaimed the land. The result is that today there is a plantation house by the River Ashley surrounded by formal and informal gardens but the former rice fields are a sort of swamp.
Of course wandering around the grounds I saw all sorts of things. They have butterflies here the size of small birds, big spiders too and swamp also equals mosquitoes - big ones at that!
The stuff hanging from all the trees is called Spanish Moss which is an epiphyte i.e it gets all its nutrients from the air.
As I walked around the gardens there were some rather odd looking signs, the like of which I had not seen at any National Trust property in the UK.
Rachel - do not read the next paragraph
Now let me make it clear exactly where I stand in relation to Alligators and Crocodiles - firstly as far away as possible - secondly I see no purpose for them, why they are on the planet is completely beyond me - thirdly make them all into handbags and have done with it. You will have guessed reader - I am not a fan.
Rachel - you can start reading again now
Trouble is now I have posted a photo saying there are alligators at the Magnolia Plantation you are going to call me a lightweight if I don't post a picture of one. Well with the help of a lot of zoom lens you may just be able to make out a little one in the middle of this picture.
I did see a bigger alligator but it only had its eyes and nostrils above the water and believe me I was even further away at the time!
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