Avery Island in Iberia Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Southern Live Oaks

Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, June 6, 2018

1. Southern Live Oaks Marker

Inscription. This area was once known as the Hog Lot. It provided green pastures for grazing pigs and horses alike and became part of Jungle Gardens in the 1930s. The live oaks here were planted between the 1860s and the 1920s.

Natural groves of live oaks along the Louisiana coast are known as chênières, derived from the French word chêne, meaning "oak.” Unlike most New World oaks, live oaks are evergreens, inspiring their Cajun moniker, chêne vert or "green oak."

Spanish moss and resurrection fern typically attach themselves to the massive limbs of the live oaks. The resurrection fern is so named because it can survive prolonged periods of dry weather when it becomes brown and withered. Even a light rain will revive the fern, "resurrecting" its healthy bright green color. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Horticulture & Forestry.

Location. 29° 54.728′ N, 91° 54.412′ W. Marker is on Avery Island, Louisiana, in Iberia Parish. It is on Jungle Garden Road south of Avery Island Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Avery Island LA 70513, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Louisiana’s Acadiana — Cajun Country and specifically in Bayou Country. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, Acadia, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Avery Island Salt Dome (about 300 feet away, measured

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in a direct line); First Rock Salt Mine (about 500 feet away); Bayou Petite Anse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Avery Island, Louisiana (approx. 0.3 miles away); Bamboo (approx. 0.4 miles away); McIlhenny (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bird City (approx. 0.4 miles away); Sunken Gardens (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Avery Island.

More about this marker. Stop #1, located just south of Jungle Garden Gatehouse. Part of the Jungle Garden self driving/walking tour.

Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, June 6, 2018

2. Southern Live Oaks Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2018, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 425 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 10, 2018.