(09/23/26) ALEXANDRIA, La. — Christina Calcaterra set out from the parking lot of a trailhead in the Kisatchie National Forest, a group of plant enthusiasts following closely behind her, water bottles and hiking poles in hand.

They no sooner had stepped foot on the Wild Azalea Trail than something caught Calcaterra’s attention: a tall, wispy grass growing in the dappled shade of the pine forest.

“This,” she said, “is something everyone should grow in their yards.”

Calcaterra, a botanist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, identified the plant as little bluestem before rattling off some of its interesting qualities. The perennial grass, valued for its drought tolerance and a fibrous root system that staves off erosion, is a larval host for moths and provides habitat for birds, small animals and bees. It even has ornamental appeal, with bluish stems that turn golden to red in the fall, and traditionally has been used by Native Americans for basket weaving.

Little bluestem was just one of the many native plants Calcaterra and the group found on their walk through the woods, which was part of a Sept. 19 seminar organized by the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Native Plant Society and the Central Louisiana Native Plant Meetup. The annual event, now in its third year, featured presentations and booths with plants for sale at the State Evacuation Shelter south of Alexandria before the group headed to the nearby national forest.

Molly Lyles, an AgCenter horticulture agent in Avoyelles, Grant, Rapides and St. Landry parishes, started the event after hearing from constituents who wanted to learn more about plants that are native to Louisiana. She has launched other initiatives, including the meetup program, which is a quarterly gathering in central Louisiana focused on native plant education, networking and sharing experiences.

Lyles has seen some of the benefits of native plants firsthand in a demonstration bed outside the Rapides Parish Extension office.

“In 2023, when we had the drought, those plants were as happy as can be for the most part, whereas other plants were suffering,” she said. “You could see the resiliency in them, and I think a lot of people are drawn toward that — having a more sustainable landscape with native plants.”

Because they’ve always existed in Louisiana, native plants have a unique ability to thrive in the state’s climate. They also are a critical component of ecosystems, playing roles in the wellbeing of many living things, Calcaterra said.

“The more that you tap into those relationships that have been around for hundreds and thousands of years, the more biodiversity you get,” she said. “The more you can support native species of wildlife.”

Austin Klais, who operates the Grown by Grace Native Plant Nursery in Monroe, said the United States has recorded significant declines in populations of birds and butterflies, which depend on native herbaceous plants for food, shelter and reproduction sites.

While many factors have influenced these declines, he said, “what is it that we can actually do?”

Large-scale landscape restoration projects are one answer. For homeowners, however, adding a few native plants to backyard gardens is more practical and can still have an impact.

Klais, a wildlife biologist by training, recommended focusing on “keystone species” that support numerous forms of life, such as oak, willow and mulberry trees, shrubs, sunflowers, asters and some wildflowers. Another suggestion: Leave dead grasses and flowers standing over the winter to provide cover for birds and beneficial insects.

Some people may be willing to jump on the trend of “rewilding” their lawn, or at least part of it. The U.S. has 40 million acres of turfgrass lawns, Klais said, and replacing even a portion of that figure with native species would make a difference.

“It takes every single one of us,” he said.

Charles Allen, a botanist and retired professor known as one of Louisiana’s foremost native plant experts, highlighted a long list of trees, shrubs, woody vines, forbs (herbaceous flowering plants), graminoids (grasses and grass-like plants) and ferns along with the various species of butterflies and moths they attract. Some plants — like red and white bay, persimmon, sassafras and winged sumac — can be eaten or used as spices and teas.

He summarized his advice simply: “Things need to be native. They need to be natural, and no or minimal mowing.”

Minimizing areas that must be mowed, he said, helps create an environment that’s conducive to native wildlife such as butterflies — which not only are important pollinators but also are a source of delight for Allen when they visit his property in Pitkin.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Just yesterday, I was sitting there watching four or five swallowtails on my lantana, probably 10 Gulf fritillaries and several other butterflies.”

Christina Calcaterra, a botanist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, points out little bluestem plants to people participating in a nature walk in the Kisatchie National Forest as part of a native plant seminar Sept. 19. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

A participant in a Sept. 19 native plant seminar takes a closer look at a plant held by Christina Calcaterra, a botanist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Christina Calcaterra, a botanist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, holds witch grass, a native plant, that she found in the Kisatchie National Forest. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Austin Klais, of the Grown by Grace Native Plant Nursery, speaks during a native plant seminar held Sept. 19. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

Botanist Charles Allen speaks during a native plant seminar held Sept. 19. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter