Recently my husband and I have been going on nature walks at the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park Barataria Preserve and the Plantation Trail. I always bring my camera.
Right outside of Marrero, Louisiana, the preserve is about 20,000 acres of bayous, swamps, marches, and forests. It is home to alligators, nutria, and over 300 species of birds. Lots and lots of insects and flying things. There are several boardwalks and dirt trails you can explore, and there are no dogs allowed which is nice and keeps it very clean and peaceful.
There is so much history here, and walking under the canopy of trees it is very rainforest feeling and beautiful. Don’t pay any attention to all the buzzing insects, they are all a part of the fragile ecosystem here in South Louisiana. Leave your perfume at home.
Living here in SE Louisiana and being so close to all the nature has given me a deep appreciation for the wildlife and ecosystem here. I still find it amazing at all of the species of life. You are constantly seeing new types of frogs, toads, dragonflies and more.
It is evident just by walkiing through this preserve how delicate and the nature is here. A fragile ecosystem. It brings tears to our eyes when we think about the gulf oil spill and how much damage it is doing to this part of the nation. Hopefully it will not affect this area, but it is scary to think about all the damage it is doing.
So far my husband and I have done a couple of the trails, but plan on going more regularly during different seasons to capture the cycles of life there. His family has been here for literally centuries and they have lived off the land here for as long. He used to walk these same trails as a child with his Grandfather, a true Cajun Frenchman who used to make his own deer sausage. We have started to bring our six month old daugher there in a baby carrier and she absolutely loves it.
I can’t wait until the summer is over and the autumn comes so we can photograph the changing seasons. Here are some of my favorite pics from the last day we went.
