Bayou-Diversity: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country

by Kelby Ouchley

Louisiana's bayous and their watersheds teem with cypress trees, alligators, crawfish, and many other life forms. From Bayou Tigre to Half Moon Bayou, these sluggish streams meander through lowlands, marshes, and even uplands to dominate the state's landscape. In Bayou-Diversity, conservationist Kelby Ouchley reveals the bayou's intricate web of flora and fauna.

Through a collection of essays about Louisiana's natural history, Ouchley details an amazing array of plants and animals found in the Bayou State. Baldcypress, orchids, feral hogs, eels, black bears, bald eagles, and cottonmouth snakes live in the well over 400 bayous of the region. Collectively, Ouchley's vignettes portray vibrant and complex habitats. But human interaction with the bayou and our role in its survival, Ouchley argues, will determine the future of these intricate ecosystems.

Bayou-Diversity narrates the story of the bayou one wildflower, one creature at a time, in turn illustrating the bigger picture of this treasured and troubled Louisiana landscape.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2011

About the author

Kelby Ouchley is a naturalist and managed National Wildlife Refuges for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 30 years. His first book, "Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide," was published by LSU Press in 2010. A collection of his essays, "Bayou-Diversity: Nature and People in the Louisiana Bayou Country," will be released by LSU Press in October 2011. His first novel, "Iron Branch: A Civil War Tale of a Woman In-Between," is availalbe for Kindle and other e-readers. Since 1995, Kelby has written and narrated a weekly conservation-related program for KEDM 90.3 FM, the public radio station that serves the Ark-La-Miss area. He has been awarded the Louisiana Governor's Conservationist of the Year Award. Kelby and his wife, Amy, live in the woods in Rocky Branch, Louisiana, in a cypress house surrounded by white oaks and black hickories.

Reviews

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book of essays perfect for anyone interested in the flora and fauna of Louisiana. Bayou-Diversity (a play on biodiversity) is packed with information for the amateur naturalist, as well as personal anecdotes relating to the author's own experiences working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ouchley writes with a poet's eye and a wry sense of humor, finding as much beauty in venomous snakes as in a raptor riding a column of warm air. His love for the state's ecosystems is apparent, as is his deep concern for the fate of his home in this age of climate change and environmental disaster. Heartbreaking and gorgeous, informative and poetic, this book is both a love song and an elegy. My highest rating.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could have a class set so my AP Environmental Science classes could read it. Super interesting and real life examples of things taught in class.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small book but packed with facts and observations. I love this book! It is like taking a walk in the woods with a friend! Kelby Ouchley writes like he is talking to a friend, explaining the wonders of nature as you stroll along. Each vignette is short but packed with facts. You can pick it up and put it down, skip around, skip the spiders and snakes altogether, and still enjoy every bit of the book. I actually keep it on my night table and reread an entry or two if I want to. I highly recommend this book, even if you don't live in Louisiana like I do.

[Carolyn Wojtera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful essays on my favorite place in the world!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of essays. It made it a quick, easy read that was full of interesting facts and stories.