Kisatchie National Forest
Winn District
Winn Parish, LA

Carpenter Road Prairie, located off Louisiana State Highway 156/Parish Road 523 is one of the few remaining prairies in the state of Louisiana. This prairie is designated as a Fleming Calcareous Prairie by the Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP). The site is dominated by grasses such as Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Panicum sp. (panic grass) and many others. It also contains many prairie indicator species such as Echinacea purpurea (purple cone flower), Bumelia lanuginose (chittum wood), Petalostemum purpureum (purple prairie clover), and Petalostemum candidum (white prairie-clover). White prairie-clover is indicated in the image by white flags. Hedyotis sp. (bluets), a sensitive species, is also found on this prairie area. These prairies are a highly sensitive ecosystem, with highly diversified plant life.

Most of the speices listed here are not easily visible in the image due to thier size and location.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has more information about the Louisiana Natural Heritage Program (LNHP) and the classification of Natural Communities of Louisiana.