Abbeville, La July 25, 2026

The Abbeville Red Louisiana iris restoration project took a HUGE step forward during the month of July!

Thanks to the dedication of three determined volunteers, a total of 152 Abbeville Red iris seed pods were collected from irises growing in the Palmetto Island State Park Boardwalk Swamp and on two privately owned tracts within the Abbeville Swamp.

The seed pods were estimated to contain nearly 6,800 seeds—an estimate that proved remarkably accurate when the pods were opened and the seeds were counted and potted during the following weeks. This represents a record number of Abbeville Red iris seeds collected and potted during any of the four years of the restoration project.

The collection was anything but easy. The three volunteers braved extreme heat and humidity, climbed down into the swamp, and battled through thick vegetation in search of the ripening seed pods in early July. Their efforts were made possible by two Abbeville Swamp landowners who generously granted permission for the collection. The volunteers were Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative's Gary Salathe (left to right in photo), Acadiana Master Naturalist Mara (Chrissy) Bass, and Ed Wilhelm of the Abbeville Garden Club, and .

From Seed Pods to Seedlings

The next phase of the project began the following week, as the seven organizations participating in the 2026 Abbeville Red Iris Seed Germination Project began opening the seed pods and planting the seeds in pots.

The participating groups will care for the seed pots through the remainder of the year. Once the seedlings are approximately 3–6 inches tall—usually by late December—the pots will be collected and brought to the Abbeville Red Iris Nursery in New Orleans. There, the young irises will be transplanted into larger containers and grown until they are ready for planting.

The nursery is managed by the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative in space generously shared by the Greater New Orleans Iris Society at its much larger Louisiana iris nursery in New Orleans City Park.

Why Collect the Seeds?

Why go through all of this effort?

In the wild, only a very small percentage of the seeds produced by Abbeville Red irises ever germinate and survive long enough to become mature plants. By collecting the seeds and caring for them under controlled conditions, germination rates can approach 80 percent.

That dramatically increases the number of plants available for restoration and allows the project to move forward much more rapidly than would be possible through natural reproduction alone.

A Long-Term Restoration Plan

This community-wide effort has one primary goal: to fill the Palmetto Island State Park Boardwalk Swamp with Abbeville Red irises.

As that population grows, the plan is to eventually transplant several thousand irises each year back into their native habitat in the Abbeville Swamp.

"It’s an ambitious but achievable plan to reverse the decades-long decline of this remarkable native Louisiana iris and help ensure that it thrives once again in the only place on Earth where it naturally occurs," said LICI's Gary Salathe, who has headed the restoration project each year.

The irises produced through the 2026 seed germination project are expected to reach planting size during the winter of 2027. They will then make the trip to Vermilion Parish to be planted in the Palmetto Island State Park Boardwalk Swamp.

Eventually, some of those plants will make their way back into the Abbeville Swamp as part of the project's long-term goal of increasing the number of Abbeville Red irises growing in the wild within their native habitat.

The 2026 Seed Germination Team

The following organizations are participating in the 2026 Abbeville Red Iris Seed Germination Project:

• Greater New Orleans Iris Society — New Orleans

• Acadiana Native Plant Project — Arnaudville

• Bois d'Arc Gardens — Schriever

• Bonne Terre Native Plant Society — Houma

• Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative — New Orleans

• Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners — Lafayette

• Abbeville Garden Club — Abbeville

  
  

In addition, Abbeville Red iris grower Kent Benton donated several hundred seedlings from his own stock to help expand the restoration effort.

A Community Effort

The scale of this year's seed collection demonstrates what can be accomplished when individuals, organizations, landowners and volunteers work together toward a common conservation goal.

Salathe summed it up: "We are deeply grateful to these organizations and their volunteers for donating their time, facilities, and expertise to help ensure the success of the Abbeville Red iris restoration project."