a gift of nature
A woman named Caroline Dormon spent her life trying to preserve Louisiana’s native plants and natural landscapes. And when she died a half-century ago, Dormon left all of her land to be enjoyed as a nature preserve.
Dormon’s Nature Preserve at Briarwood is located near the small town of Saline, Louisiana. Dormon was born on the property in 1888, and she there until her death in 1971 at the age of 83. Bayli Brossette is the curator of the nature preserve. She drives me along several miles of wooded trails on the 120-acre preserve. Brossette’s 14-month-old daughter Clovis rides in the front seat of a golf cart with her mom.
caroline dormon is an inspiration
Brossette tells me that Dormon is one of her biggest inspirations. “Not just because of how much she did for nature,” Brossette says, “but because of who she was.” Dormon may be best known for helping to create Louisiana’s 600,000 acre Kisatchie National Forest, the only national forest in the state. She was also the first woman employed by the U.S. Forest Service.
caroline dorman nature preserve featured on tv
a giant tree she called ‘grandpappy’
There is a famous photograph of Caroline Dormon embracing her favorite tree, a giant longleaf pine she called ‘Grandpappy’. The centuries-old pine still stands on the property, towering above the forest.
Brossette takes me to the tall longleaf pine and walks up to the tree and gives it a hug. “I think it would take three of us to wrap our arms around this tree,” she says with a chuckle.
a field of wildflowers
Dormon was a collector of trees and wildflowers. She would bring in plants and trees from other parts of the southeastern United States and add them to her collection at Briarwood. A wildflower meadow has blooming orange-colored wild azaleas. Other plants with flowers of blue, white and yellow are mixed throughout the open field. The Nature Preserve has a separate garden with blooming irises in a variety of colors. And you can see the bug-eating carnivorous pitcher plants that grow along the edge of the iris garden.
Caroline dormon cabin in the woods
You can visit the log cabin where Dormon lived much of her life here at Briarwood. She would sit by the fireplace in her favorite chair.
Dormon was a collector and author of books on nature. And for those who visit this quiet nature preserve, Brossette hopes they leave with more of an appreciation for Louisiana’s native plants. Caroline Dormon’s love of nature, its flowers and trees, birds and wildlife, continue to educate and inspire those who walk the trails of Briarwood.
visit the nature preserve at briarwood
Tours of the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve at Briarwood are by appointment only. The guided tours are $12 per person or $20 for two people. Briarwood is located at 216 Caroline Dorman Road, Saline, LA. You can call (318) 576-3379 for more information, or click on the following link: Briarwood Nature Preserve – Home (briarwoodnp.org)
216 Caroline Dorman Rd, Saline, LA 71070
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