Acadiana Native Plant Project

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

We were happy to speak with the Ville Platte Rotary Club today. Get in touch if you would like someone from our Education and Outreach team to speak to your group.

05/31/2026

ANPP congratulates Audrey Witherington for a GOLD certified habitat in Reeves.

Audrey just graduated with a degree in Biology from McNeese State, and has been working to improve native habitat on her family’s 12 acres for the past two years. By altering mowing habits and adding additional plants, their property is becoming a haven for native plants and everything that comes along with them. The property naturally features woodland plants such as pinewoods lily, spiderwort, scarlet catchfly, mamou, yellow passionflower, silverbells, sassafras, and prickly pear. Audrey has also started a collection to enhance the property with plants like slender rosinweed, rattlesnake master, and blanketflower.

This property is a great example of how simply changing some mowing habits and being mindful of plant habits while managing land can make a huge difference in host plant and habitat availability.

Audrey has been tracking the plants on the property here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/witherington-backyard-native-plants

Thanks for greauxing native, Audrey!

When you're ready to get on the map too, visit greauxnative.org/lchprogram to start your application!

05/27/2026

Congratulations go to Greengate Garden Center of Lake Charles on their Bronze level certification of their native plant garden. Last year during a slow time at the garden center, Michaela Lachney got the idea to plant a native garden in a neglected area of the grounds. She got manager Sam Cabuk on board and began planning and rallying other employees to help with planting. The garden was born in February 2026. It includes area where flowering plants are on display, a wet area where Louisiana Irises are planted, a critter habitat that utilized old left-over Christmas trees, and a walkway that winds its way around the area. It is a work in progress. Michaela’s intent in planting the native garden was to entice more customers to buy natives for their gardens.

05/27/2026

We couldn't agree more. Thanks, Louisiana Wildlife Federation!

In Louisiana, what you plant directly shapes what shows up.

Native plants provide the food and habitat that birds, pollinators, and other wildlife actually rely on. Without them, those connections start to break down.

Creating a native plant garden is one of the most practical ways to support local ecosystems right where you live. It’s not about doing everything. It’s about choosing plants that belong here and letting them do what they’re meant to do.

If you’ve been thinking about making your yard more wildlife-friendly, this is a good time to start

- Add native plants that support pollinators and birds
- Build in simple, visible cues of care
- Take the step to certify your space as wildlife habitat

For the month of May, you can get 20% off your Certified Wildlife Habitat application with code GARDEN20.

Learn more and apply here: https://certifiedwildlifehabitat.nwf.org/

05/27/2026

June 6th! See y’all there🌻

05/26/2026

We were happy to support the establishment of the pollinator gardens at the Iowa branch of the Parish Public Library. Another Louisiana Certified Habitat on the map! Louisiana Native Plant Society

05/24/2026

ANPP congratulates Avery Williams for a GOLD certified habitat in Lake Charles. His home sits on 23 acres of prime wildlife real estate bordering Indian Bayou. We had a quick tour of the property before the Saturday deluge opened up on us, and we went scrambling up the hill seeking shelter from the storm.

The Williams bought this property in 2013, and began cleaning it up and improving it right off the bat. By 2019, they had built a home on a bluff overlooking the bottomlands that lead to Indian Bayou. In the past, this land functioned as a kind of community hunting ground for local residents. Unfortunately, that also brought a lot of trash and debris, which Avery immediately set to cleaning up as he cut trails through the woods. The unmanaged hunting also led to drops in local wildlife populations. Now, it is pristine habitat full of native plants and wildlife, and devoid of litter. Avery said wildlife started coming back to the property in droves as the cleaning up and management of the property progressed.

Before dropping into the river bottom, visitors are greeted by a meadow full of local prairie/savanna plants like rosinweed, rattlesnake master, sensitive briar, swamp sunflower, and various grasses that is bush hogged once a year for maintenance. Dropping down into the river bottoms one is greeted by a cacophony of native plants transitioning from an upland to a lowland habitat, which forms an ecotone rich in wildlife diversity.
This is a wonderful property showcasing what well managed native habitat can achieve, and Avery enjoys sharing it with classes, clubs, and others that appreciate the flora and fauna of Louisiana.

Thanks for greauxing native, Avery!

When you're ready to get on the map too, visit greauxnative.org/lchprogram to start your application!

05/21/2026

Stop by the Robicheaux Recreation Center Friday afternoon/evening. Our Education and Outreach team will be there!