Books

The Cajun Prairie: A Natural History

By Malcolm F. Vidrine

The Cajun Prairie, a 2.4 million acre wilderness in 1600, was occupied by Native Americans and the typical prairie plants and animals. The tallgrass prairie in September obscured the view across the landscape making it extremely easy to get lost, and by December the mud was so deep that a wagon was quickly buried to the axle, but winter fire brought forth the most luxuriant growth of grasses and wildflowers from early spring to late summer. "The garden of Louisiana" and "the loveliest part of Louisiana" were descriptions of early travelers like C. C. Robin, William Darby and Col. Samuel Lockett. But this prairie is extinguished and listed as critically threatened. Literally less than 100 acres are considered to remain in narrow strips and small pieces dotting the landscape. The natural history of this prairie is described for the first time as a result of the work of a group of devoted prairie biologists and ecologists. This is their story, in part, and the view of the future as restoration ecologists attempt to recreate the Cajun Prairie as a sustainable, alternative landscape, the biodiversity garden.

Plates include a gallery of photos of the last remaining pieces of Cajun Prairie as they appeared in the 1980s and 1990s. These photos of railroad rights-of-way collectively provide an opportunity to construct a series of mental images of the prairie in different locations and in different seasons.

Malcolm F. Vidrine is a professor at Louisiana State University Eunice.