It's no secret around these parts that Armadillos are EVERYWHERE. The weather has cooled down just a bit in the past few days and let me tell ya...80 degrees feels incredible after weeks of stepping outside has felt like stepping into an oven and having your clothes immediately stick to your body. To be honest, the heat has played a major roll in keeping me away from visits to the park. So when I stepped outside this past Saturday, I decided that it was the perfect day to visit the park. I packed up my camera bag, threw on some flip flops, and headed to one of my favorites around the corner. As soon as I got there, I noticed a group of deer at the far end of the trail...they noticed me too and headed straight for the treeline. I knew they wouldn't be anywhere near that spot when I got there, but the little opening in the treeline was calling for me-so I headed that way :) I was about to continue into the woods when I heard a light rustling sound in the leaf litter nearby...I knew it was an armadillo before I even spotted it. They've been a constant in my little explorer life, and they've become so easy for me to identify by sound.
I was able to get pretty close (these photos were taken with my 50mm prime lens), before my presence was noticed. That's another thing I love about armadillos...you can get really close before they even know you're there...and even if they do realize you're there...they don't seem to care too much. This one let me stay and observe for a few minutes before standing on it's hind legs to smell the air before going back to it's business of rooting for insects.
I can't wait to see more Armadillos as I do more exploring this fall. If someone were to ask me what my favorite animal is (aside from snakes and other reptiles)...and I were forced to choose just one...it might well be the Armadillo :)
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