Adult Educational Programs

Reflections in the Garden

Reflections in the Garden is a monthly "lunch and learn" speaker event where local specialists offer a variety of garden-related tips and tricks! We have a great lineup of green-thumbed speakers planned for the coming year. Due to limited seating, registration is required, and tickets are free to Friends of the Garden Members, $10 for non-members. Reflections takes place in-person at the Ione Burden Conference Center and online via Microsoft Teams. 

Interested in becoming a Friend of the Gardens? All Friends members gain free entry to Reflections in the Garden, as well as gain access to over 300 public gardens across the country! Varying membership levels offer even more perks you won't want to miss! Become a Friend of the Gardens today. You can also join our mailing list to receive reminders about our upcoming classes! Recordings of our 2020 lecture series are available  to Friends of the Garden Members! 

2022 Reflections Calendar

Date Event

January 9

"Home Citrus Tips and Tricks for Baton Rouge" with Anna Timmerman, LSU AgCenter, associate horticulture agent

February 13

"Mycology for the Curious Naturalist and Foodie" with Jen and Chuck Oliver, Baton Rouge Mycological Society

March 6

"Jackson & Perkins: A Preservation Partnership" with Wanda Ellis, LSU AgCenter, research associate, and Jeff Kuehny, LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, resident director

April 3

"Super Plants for a Super Landscape" with Allen Owings, LSU AgCenter, professor emeritus of horticulture

May 8

"Composting: The How and Why" with Bert Hammett, LSU AgCenter, extension agent for East Baton Rouge Parish

June 5

"Vegetable Gardening and LSU AgCenter Trials" with Kathryn Fontenot, School of Plant Environmental and Soil Sciences, LSU AgCenter, associate professor and extension specialist

July 10

"Fluker Farms" with David Fluker, Fluker Farms, owner

August 7

"Burden’s Going Native" with Zach Broussard, CARBO Landscape Architecture, partner in the Baton Rouge offi ce

September 11

"Ornamental Trees for Small Spaces" with Jason Stagg, LSU AgCenter, Hammond Research Station, instructor of horticulture – nursery crops and commercial landscaping 

October 2

"Bees and Pollination" with Kevin Langley, Louisiana Beekeepers Association

November 6

"LSU Center for River Studies" with Mike Dooley, LSU, professor of civil and environmental engineering

December 4

"Creative Living Wreaths" with Yvette Gautreaux Cutrer, Succulent Fanatic Farm, owner
butterfly on flower

Common Butterflies Found in the Pollinator Garden

Learn more about the butterflies that visit our Pollinator Garden here at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and in surrounding areas! Butterflies are attracted to the nectar in flowers, which they use as an energy source. If host plant(s) specific to the butterflies are available in the gardens, the butterflies may deposit eggs on the leaves of their host plants. The caterpillars, also known as larvae, can feed on the leaves and at some point pupate, and emerge as an adult butterfly.

field of purple pollinator flowers

Louisiana Native Pollinator Trees

Dr. Chrissy Mogren

Landscaping trees into your yard provides numerous benefits such as shade, improving drainage, and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. While bees are adapted to life in prairies as opposed to forests, they can still utilize resources provided by flowering trees when incorporated into a pollinator-oriented landscape. In addition to providing floral food resources, native trees are also host plants to a number of beautiful native butterflies and moths. As you walk through Trees & Trails, keep an eye out for signs indicating which trees provide important resources for Louisiana native bees, butterflies, and moths!

trees and trails path

Trees & Trails

Enjoy approximately three miles of trails on a hike or leisurely stroll along interactive walking paths through an urban forest and a boardwalk through wetlands in the heart of Baton Rouge. The trails are open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. seven days a week for self-guided exploration. 

Map of trails

purple flowers

Gardening Organizations

Various gardening organizations provide educational and work sessions for members and the general public.  Memberships may be required for some activities.  Check the calendar of events to see when these groups are meeting.

bee on a sunflower

Citizen Scientists


Citizen scientists are individuals from all walks of life: gardeners, nature enthusiasts, students, educators, and the general public, who would like to share their observations about nature and local ecology as part of a collaborative project with scientists and the global community. The data submitted by citizen scientists is analyzed and makes it possible for researchers to answer critical questions in ecology and conservation.

bluebird eggs

Birding at Burden

Our goal is to provide you with information about our birding loops and links to resources that will enhance your birding experience. Our birding brochure, Birding at Burden, is located inside the Ione Burden Conference and Information Center and inside the Rural Life Museum Visitors Center. The brochure has a detailed map and legend of the six birding loops, images of birds, descriptions about each of the loops, and a bird species list to see what time of year each bird species is most likely to occur at Burden. The numbers next to each species correspond to our numbered birding loops.