May 13, 2024 Mandeville, LA
Pelican Park/Recreation District #1 recognized the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) in their current Spring/Summer issue of the Pelican Watch newsletter. LICI has a large iris planting in the park that was started in 2022. The group has added irises to the planting each year since, which resulted in a spectacular bloom of thousands of irises last month.
The irises are shown as they are blooming on April 8, 2024, in LICI's Pelican Park iris restoration project.
LICI has a few iris restoration locations in public parks instead of their usual planting locations in area refuges and nature preserves where they are planted in their natural habitat. The I. giganticaerulea species of the Louisiana iris from LICI's rescued iris program were planted into these projects as a place for them to multiply on their own without any maintenance being needed. However, in each park location, the management has agreed to let LICI thin the irises out for use in new projects in the future. "The blooming irises will be visible to the public, furthering our goal of raising awareness of this wonderful native Louisiana plant, but it's really a way for us to have the irises propagate for use in future projects," says Gary Salathe, president of LICI.
LICI's iris restoration in Pelican Park's current Spring/Summer issue of the
Pelican Watch newsletter.
Like many parks nationwide, Pelican Park has a native plant and pollinator initiative. LICI's iris bog checks off two boxes for the park's program; the irises themselves are a threatened Louisiana native plant species, and they are a key source of nectar for bumblebees and hummingbirds.
Photo: The display sign is shown that was installed at the Pelican Park iris bog just before
the iris bloom in April 2024.
LICI assisted the park's staff by supplying the information and photos they needed to create an informational display this spring at the iris bog about the I. giganticaerulea species of the Louisiana iris. Louisette L. Scott, Park Planner with Pelican Park, is responsible for having the iris bog installed and the new iris informational display created and installed. "We appreciate all she has done to make this project available to us and for it to become a success for both of our organizations. We also appreciate this recognition they have given us, but this has been a team effort from the very beginning. It would not have been possible without all of the volunteers from variuos St. Tammany Parish groups that have done the work during our iris planting events. " Salathe says.
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