I have to admit something here… up to the point that Holly and I saw these armadillos, I’m not sure I had ever seen one that wasn’t squished on the side of the road. It’s a shame too, because they’re hilarious!
Let me back up. While visiting Charleston, South Carolina, Holly and I wanted to visit a plantation. After looking around at the many options (which, by the way, aren’t cheap!!), we landed on the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, mostly because the gardens were supposed to be so beautiful. Well, turns out we were there at the wrong time for all the flowers (we had unfortunately chosen a time between all the Spring flowers and the Summer ones) BUT, the grounds were still beautiful! They have lots of little bridges and ponds, and you can tell the area would be something to behold when everything is in bloom.
What we missed out on in flowers, we made up for in wildlife. Holly and I got to see a few little alligators and we spotted a little raccoon, spying on us from overhead in a tree. And then… these guys. As we were walking through one of the less traveled sections of the gardens, we kept hearing something rustling through the leaves. We investigated, and though we could see movement, we couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Then, out pops this little armadillo… followed by his cohorts. Now, the little guys were digging around in the flowers, and I could tell they could probably make a big mess, but the things are just so ugly they’re cute! As the group wondered around between the trail and the plants, I put my camera on the ground and started photographing them. I was constantly having to back up though, because they kept running towards me. Finally, curious what would happen, I left the camera on the ground after taking the shot above, the leader of the group ran right into my lens!
After speaking to one of the grounds keepers, evidently they can’t see too well… and just aren’t that smart either, which likely explains why they kept running at me, instead of away from me. It probably explains why their unfortunate bodies lay on the sides of the roadways across America as well. BUT, I have to say, they’re pretty entertaining to watch. I guess, as long as they’re not your flowers they’re foraging around in anyway!
–Dan Thompson