The beauty of nature in Clemson, SC

Hi! One of the things I love most about South Carolina is the natural environment around here. There are trees everywhere and birds singing all the time! In fact, I have some bird feeders on my porch and two doves (among many other adorable little bird species) are here everyday. They are beautiful and I love their cooing.

Today I walked around the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. This state garden is at Clemson University, and it has a Discovery Center, Geology Center, and A LOT of gardens and nature trails. I don't know a whole lot about its history, but there are a lot of beautiful pictures and information at the website and I strongly recommend clicking on that link to see it.The Hosta Garden

So anyway, I went there today to look around. I had imagined a garden like the Portland Rose Garden we used to go to when I was younger. The Rose Garden had clearly defined sidewalks on which you walked around admiring roses with plaques naming each one so you could learn about the varieties of roses. Not so the SC Botanical Garden! While there were plaques around naming a few plants, once you walk a few feet away from the beginning of the trail, you were in wild wilderness land (my name, not the officially endorsed name).The duck pond

You see, my story begins with my ill-fated decision to take a nature hike away from the main paths. Now, in my defense, there were trails, just not as beaten down as the main trails. I suppose I should have consulted a map before beginning the journey but I was certain it would just be a big loop. It was not! Three hot hours later, I was hopelessly lost.

So, I did what any nature lover would do...I took pictures of everything I saw. I figured that if I ever went back, I could use the pictures as a guide. Here are some of my favorites:Tall trees

I wonder why I like this one?

Stream under bridge

Can you find the butterfly?

After a couple of hours of being lost I was getting a little nervous. I sat down to text message a friend of mine that if I wasn't back by the time it was dark, she should send a search party (I was kind of joking). Well, wouldn't you know it, but I sat on a log with hundreds of red ants! Luckily I was wearing pants and sleeves so it wasn't too bad, but in trying to brush them all off me, my camera, and my cell phone, I got millions of tiny little bites all over my hands. The good news is that I discovered I'm not allergic to red ant bites. The bad news is they stung like tiny little bumblebees. You can barely see them now, and I"m totally fine, but for a minute there I got the heebie jeebies! I finally made it out of the "forest of no return." I am thankful for the exercise and the beauty, but next time I'm bringing a map and a friend along just in case!There are two turtles here and they were so cute chasing that lilypad in the middle. They dove under it, poked their heads up, and swam around it!