The air in Baton Rouge Louisiana is sweet with the smell of flowers in the spring and summer. The habitats of marshes, wetlands, swamps, woodlands, prairies and subtropical temperatures grow a diverse number of flowers. This coupled with the long growing season and rich wetland soils are the perfect habit for flowering plants.
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Because of Louisiana’s wet climate and swampy land, there is an abundance of flowering water plants, grasses and wildflowers. Irises are aquatic plants and abundant all over Baton Rouge. Some other types of native flowers include the magnolia (the state flower), bluebonnets, foxglove, wildflowers and flowering grasses.
Louisiana’s woodlands are fast disappearing to development. Most woodland flowers thrive on the edge of the dense woodlands because of the low light conditions. Some of the more common native perennial wildflowers are the Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) also known as Wild Sweet William, Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) and Goat’s Beard (Arnuncus dioicus). Woodland Wildflowers are great garden plants that are easy to grow. Other popular native wildflowers include Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Blue Cohosh (Caulophllum thalictroides) and Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum).
“The coastal marshes of Louisiana comprise approximately 12 % of the nation’s coastal wetlands and constitute the largest contiguous wetland system in the lower 48 sates,” According to the Nature Conservancy in Louisiana. Irises thrive in the wetlands. The Giant-blue Swamp Iris (Iris giganicaerulea), Southern-blue Flag (Iris virginica) and Copper Iris (Iris Fulva) are just a few of the native species.
Most of the prairies are gone that once were all over Louisiana. According to the U.S. Forest Service, “Over 99.9 percent of the prairies are gone that once occurred in the state.” The few prairies left are now threatened with woody plant invasion and fire abatement policies. The lack of natural fire in the area has allowed invasive species to thrive and take over the prairies. Prairie wildflowers include Blue-eyed Grass (sisyrinchium spp.), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Prairie Bluet (Houstonia purpurea), Winecup (Callirhoe papaver), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and the Prairie Parsley (Polytaenia nuttallii).
Many of the floras in and around Baton Rouge are suffering from diminishing habits. The effects of development, levees, fire abatement policies, invasive plants and reduction in the species necessary for biodiversity are reducing the natural habitats for the native flowers and plants. Several species of flowers, Tiny Tim (Geocarpon minimum Mack), Louisiana Quillwort (Isoetes Louisianensis Thieret), Southern Spicebush (Lindera melissifolia), Chaffseed (Schwalbea Americana L.) and Virginia Meadowsweet (Spiraea virginiana Britton), are already on the endangered list. The City of Baton Rouge with the National Forest Department, the Nature Conservatory and American Wetlands Protection Agency are working towards restoring and protection the prairies, wetlands and woodlands of Louisiana.
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