State

El Niño desert orchid is an ornamental shrub with pink-to-violet blooms in late spring and summer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

El Niño desert orchid is an ornamental shrub with pink-to-violet blooms in late spring and summer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

El Niño desert orchid: A unique hybrid that’s as tough as it is attractive

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 1, 2025
New woody ornamentals don’t come along as often as annual bedding plants. So when El Niño desert orchid hit the market, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg was excited to see the flowering shrub’s potential for Louisiana gardens. Something else about this new plant intrigued Stagg.

Vibrio vulnificus infections are on the rise in Louisiana

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 1, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Health is urging residents to take precautions to prevent infection from Vibrio vulnificus. The department is seeing a higher number of Vibrio vulnificus cases and deaths than are typically reported.

Drawdown for Henderson Lake begins Monday

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 1, 2025
By Sherry Douzat sdouzat@wlf.la.gov Continuing their long-standing collaboration to enhance the overall health of Henderson Lake, and based on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recommendations, the St. Martin Parish Government has scheduled a drawdown for Henderson Lake in St.

Audit: Repeated failures cost La. nearly $1 billion

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, August 1, 2025
Nearly $1 billion in fiscal mismanagement, waste, and compliance failures were uncovered across Louisiana government agencies in a recent year-end audit report released by Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack.
M.P. Hayes, an LSU AgCenter water quality expert, demonstrates a small, remote-controlled boat that can gather data to help monitor pond conditions. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

M.P. Hayes, an LSU AgCenter water quality expert, demonstrates a small, remote-controlled boat that can gather data to help monitor pond conditions. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Cloudy skies and cool research: AgCenter field day covers horticulture innovations

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 25, 2025
From turfgrass to tea production and rain gardens to robotics, there was something for just about everyone at the LSU AgCenter’s annual horticulture field day July 18.

Wood stork, wading bird viewing set at Sherburne WMA

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 18, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host their Wood Stork and Wading Bird Viewing Event on Aug. 2 at the South Farm of the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area (WMA) complex. The event will be from 7-10 a.m.
This savannah at the Marsh Bayou WMA shows some of the success of the initial restoration efforts from 15 years ago, with a mixture of longleaf pine in a diverse ecosystem that allows sunlight to get to the ground, encouraging growth of grasses and other plants animals like Eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail and whitetail deer need to survive.

This savannah at the Marsh Bayou WMA shows some of the success of the initial restoration efforts from 15 years ago, with a mixture of longleaf pine in a diverse ecosystem that allows sunlight to get to the ground, encouraging growth of grasses and other plants animals like Eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail and whitetail deer need to survive.

Cost-sharing assistance available to landowners for longleaf pine restoration and management

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 18, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, along with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, conducted a Longleaf Pine...
Lantana leaves have a velvety feel and a distinct scent. These traits help deter deer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Lantana leaves have a velvety feel and a distinct scent. These traits help deter deer. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Deer eating your plants? Try these strategies

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, July 18, 2025
When you gaze upon your garden, you might see many things. Perhaps you delight in the bright colors of your flowers, the lush foliage of other plants. Maybe your eye is drawn to the delicate butterflies and buzzing bees that come to visit Deer, on the other hand, see a garden differently.

Gulf Coast Amtrak route to start on Aug. 18, cost $15 per trip

Harlan Kirgan
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Amtrak announced on it will start new, twice-daily service connecting Mobile, Ala., with New Orleans on Aug. 18 and cost $15 per ticket, one way. The Amtrak Mardi Gras Service will offer four trips daily with stops in Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay Saint Louis in Mississippi.