red irises
sign
boardwalk

Palmetto Island

Paul's pic

Palmetto Island State Park is a recent addition to the Louisiana park system, opened in 2010.  It is located on the Vermillion River south of Abbeville.  The 1,299-acre park was 30 years in the making, with actual construction beginning in 2002 after purchase of the property in 1981.

The park web page contains complete information about the facility and activities. https://www.crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-parks/parks/palmetto-island-state-park/

There also is a Facebook page for the park, and a very active Friends organization that maintains a separate website. https://www.friendsofpalmetto.org/

The principal iris interest in the park is a planting of I. nelsonii, the Abbeville Red, that is found native only across the Vermilion Rier in the Abbeville Swamp.  Their Abbeville Swamp home is privately owned, inaccessible and endangered by agriculture and changes in hydrology.  The planting of the Abbeville Reds in Palmetto Island State Park places them in a public and protected area, very similar to their Abbeville Swamp habitat, where they can be readily enjoyed. 

For those using a GPS, the address of the park is 19501 Pleasant Drive, Abbeville.

 

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A few I. nelsonii in the Abbeville Swamp
wild iris clump Trahan red Steen's Gold