Bluebonnet Swamp
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
— Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail —
Interconnectedness is an integral part of life for Bluebonnet Swamp, which helps to alleviate floods and serve as a filter for sediment and pollutants from the surrounding areas.
Bluebonnet Swamp is a combination cypress-tupelo swamp and magnolia-beech forest made up of the swamp itself and the surrounding higher land of the Pleistocene terrace. The area drains south into Bayou Fountain, which flows along Highland Road between the natural levee of the Mississippi River to the west and the Pleistocene terrace to the east. The bayou continues flowing southeast and empties into Bayou Manchac, the Rigolets and the Gulf of Mexico.
Interconnectedness is an integral part of life for swamps and bayous, which are tributaries to larger rivers, lakes and the ocean. Swamps serve as filters for sediment and pollutants from the surrounding areas. They are important sinks for capturing carbon and alleviating floods, working well as long as they are not overwhelmed by excessive flow rates and extreme flooding events. Bluebonnet Swamp serves as the major drainage basin for the watershed along Bluebonnet Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods in Baton Rouge.
Increasing urbanization has caused a deterioration in Bluebonnet Swamp’s health. This is due to progressively higher flood events caused, in part, by increased runoff
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The Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center works to conserve this area while also offering education and recreation. The 103-acre facility teaches visitors about flora and fauna of the area and offers opportunities to view a variety of local wildlife, including hundreds of bird species during peak migrations, from the center’s gravel trails and boardwalks.
Visit Atchafalaya.org for more information about this site.
This site’s geology/geomorphology: Holocene alluvial deposits (natural levees, distributaries and abandoned channels) of small upland streams incised into Pleistocene coastal plain stream deposits blanketed by Peoria Loess
Erected by State of Louisiana and National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry. In addition, it is included in the Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail series list.
Location. 30° 22.165′ N, 91° 6.283′ W. Marker is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in East Baton Rouge Parish. It is in South Baton Rouge. Marker is on North Oak Hills Parkway, 0.2 miles north of Bluebonnet Boulevard, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. BREC's Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center (within shouting distance of this marker); Upland Hardwoods (within shouting distance of this marker); Swamp Age (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dutch Highlands (approx. 0.8 miles away); William Bartram Trail (approx. 1.1 miles away); Bayou Fountain (approx. 2.2 miles away); a different marker also named William Bartram Trail (approx. 2.7 miles away); Germain Bergeron House (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baton Rouge.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 336 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 22, 2017.
