Crawfish
Crawfish are crustaceans with gills and lungs. They also have four pairs of legs that they use to get around on and forage for food. They swim backwards by the flicking of its tail. Any of their legs or tentacles will regenerate or grow back when lost.
Crawfish colors can be sandy yellow, pink, green, dark brown.
Crawfish in the United States are found in the fresh waters of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Mammoth caves in Kentucky.
Most crawfish grow to be about three inches in length, however the biggest ones live in Tasmania and can reach lengths of 15 inches and weigh as much as 8 pounds.
Crawfish build chimneys and the height of the chimney reflects coming weather patterns. The higher the chimney the more rain. As a rule.
Crawfish molt (shed their outer shell) four or five times during their first year of life so they can grow. Crawfish lay between 10 and 800 eggs and stay protected by their mother until they can survive on their own.
Crawfish eat snails, algae, insects, worms and tadpoles. Sometimes crawfish may eat some of the vegetation also found in the fresh waters of their habitat.
When a crawfish is in danger it may flick it’s tail for a sudden burst of speed and head off backwards into a log or other natural cover.

Turtles
Turtles become active in April.
Turtles build their nest in sand or soil and lay between 3 to 8 eggs and the eggs hatch in 3 months.
Turtles hibernate in the winter in mud holes 2 feet under the ground and often in the very same place year after year.
Turtles eat snails, berries, insects, fungi, worms, slugs, flowers and roots.

Sassafras
Sassafras oil was so important to England that England demanded sassafras oil from the colonies as part of their charter.
Sassafras oil was used for years to flavor candies, root beer, soap and perfume. Now they use it for tea and filé like you find in filé gumbo.
Sassafras has been on earth so long that the dinosaurs munched on the leaves from the sassafras trees.

Huckleberry
Huckleberries ripen June to August.
Huckleberries resemble Blueberries and are used in preserves and syrups to name a couple of things.

Mayhaw
Mayhaw berries come from a thorny bush tree that grows wild in the swamps.
Mayhaw berries are collected with nets from the water. Mayhaw jelly and syrup are the most common products of the Mayhaw berry.

Origin of Name:
Louisiana was named by Robert de LaSalle, early French Explorer, for Louis XIV, King of France.

Admitted to Union:
April 30, 1812

Nickname:
“Pelican State”, because the Louisiana brown pelican is native to its shores.

Area:
50,820 Square Miles

Population:
4,219,973 (1990 actual figures); 4,477,836 (year 2000 projection)

Parishes:
In Louisiana, local government units, known elsewhere as counties, are called parishes.

State Bird:Brown Pelican     State Mammal:Louisiana Black Bear
State Colors:Gold, White and Blue   State Dog:Catahoula Leopard Dog
State Flower:Magnolia   State Wildflower:Louisiana Iris
State Tree:Bald Cypress   State Insect:American Honey Bee
State Reptile:Alligator    State Crustacean:Crawfish    State Drink:Milk
State Fossil:Petrified Palmwood   State Gemstone:Agate   State Motto:Union, Justice and Confidence

State Songs:
“Give Me Louisiana” by Doralice Fontane and “You are my Sunshine” by Jimmy H. Davis and Charles Mitchell

Later Alligator!