Hello Katie Girl: Trading Palm Trees for Palmettos

I can't seem to stop buying palm print items for summer! But the price of this piece made it totally worth it. Would you believe that this tank top from the J. Crew Factory was under $5? Thanks to the extra 60%, plus my extra 15% educator's discount, the prices at J. Crew were insanely low. The selection and the sales of the other outlet shops in the South were also unbelievable. I was truly in outlet heaven!

In my last palm inspired post I joked that palm prints are almost like camouflage among all of the palm trees in California. Turns out they are also great camouflage when among South Carolina's state tree, the Palmetto, too.

I wore this outfit on the last day of our trip. The fact that it contains an image that closely resembles some of the native plant life in the area was very appropriate due to the fact that we visited the Coastal Discovery center on Hilton Head Island, which is devoted to educating visitors about the natural history of the island as well as the cultural history. The museum features information about the native trees, plants and wildlife found in the region. Below are some pictures of our adventure through the grounds of this museum, starting with the historic Honey Horn house below that now houses the museums various exhibits and a gift shop.

Below is a boardwalk that allows visitors to view the marshes up close and personal. If you look closely you will also see some of the wildlife that call the marshlands home. We saw about a million tiny crabs and a few birds, but luckily no gators...they come later!

My husband took this picture of the flower. I am not sure what it is called, but it sure is pretty!

A butterfly enclosure houses hundreds of fluttering, colorful butterflies, but good luck trying to get them to stand still for a photo!

A local organization brought a variety of animals to pet and hold, including these boa constrictors...

and a baby gator!

Yours truly holding the alligator. My husband said the band around its mouth made the photo look less dramatic, but I am sure glad it was there!

Below is a random sculpture that caught my fancy as I was leaving the Discovery Center. It depicts what appears to be one very literate bird enjoying his favorite books. That's one of the things I really love about the South, you never what you'll discover around each corner!