Our 2024 Mascots & Greenspace of the Year

Our good luck mascots for the 2024 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge feature bursts of blue: the Eastern Bluebird and the Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth.

The greenspace of the year is BREC’s Frenchtown Conservation Area. Go explore this area and observe these beautiful creatures native to our region!

2024 Stickers

Come see us at a Baton Rouge City Nature Challenge event to get your limited edition 2024 stickers. The stickers are thick and durable water-resistant vinyl — perfect for your water bottle! A great way to remind yourself about the City Nature Challenge dates.

Marbled Salamander

Frenchtown Conservation Area is our greenspace of the year and is one of the few places in our region that is home to the Marbled Salamander!

The artwork is reminiscent of the Aberdeen Bestiary, a 12th-century English illuminated manuscript.

Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird is a favorite backyard bird in our region. This artwork takes a modern, minimalist approach to the movement of this wonderful insectivore.

Thes stickers and t-shirt were designed by Baton Rouge artist, Rordam James. Rordam is a Master Naturalist and uses their knowledge of the natural world to blend the natural with the fantastical. Hand illustration with ink is Rordam’s favorite medium, but also delves into others, including the digital world via computer animation, which Rordam studied at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Frenchtown conservation area

Exploring the trails in BREC’s 500 acres of forest is always full of interesting wildlife and plant life, like migratory birds, salamanders, and beautiful native trees. The property is bordered by the Amite and Comite rivers where they join together. A brand new education building has been built on site - be sure to check out this gem of a park!

More information

eastern bluebird

Bluebirds are a migratory species, but will nest and stay in Louisiana year-round if there is food available. Bluebirds feed by perching on a high point, like a fence post, and swoop down to catch insects on or near the ground. They primarily eat grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. They will supplement their diet in the winter with fruits and berries. Baby bluebirds only eat insects, so both parents work together to gather insects for the nestlings.

Read more about these birds

See last year’s mascots

scarlet-bodied wasp moth

Not a wasp! This moth mimics the look of a wasp as a defense, and cannot bite or sting. With transparent wings and bursts of shocking red and blue, this Louisiana moth is an incredible beauty! The caterpillars eat the leaves of Hempvine. The adults moths are pollinators, and eat nectar from flowers. The male moths also lick Dog Fennel plants to collect alkaloids which he will give to his mate. This chemical gift helps protect her eggs from predators. Amazing!!

Read more about these moths