(Distributed 11/27/07) Butterfly gardening is a rewarding hobby that creates a calming effect, Wendy Babiak of Shreveport said as she observed a butterfly garden at the State Fair of Louisiana. Babiak, a Master Gardener who has a “wildlife oasis smack in the middle of Broadmoor,” a Shreveport subdivision, helped put together an LSU AgCenter fair exhibit on how gardening can be used to attract butterflies.

(For Release On Or After 11/23/07) Many plants seem to save up all summer for the spectacular display of flowers, fruit and foliage showing up in our gardens now. If you want to punch up the color level in your garden from October through December, here are some trees, shrubs and perennials you might consider including in your landscape.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Louisiana pecans are plentiful for holiday cooking – just not quite as many as last year’s recording-breaking yield, according to Dr. John Pyzner, pecan-fruit specialist at the LSU AgCenter’s Pecan Research and Extension Station in Shreveport. This year the total harvest is expected to be 10-12 million pounds, down slightly from an average of about 14 million pounds. Last year’s yield shot up to 21 million pounds.

(Distributed 11/21/07) Good Provider winners from across the state were honored on Nov. 20 at LSU’s Lod Cook Conference Center.

(Distributed 11/20/07) An annual tradition in the South is the opening of most "choose-and-cut" Christmas tree farms on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

(Distribtued 11/20/07) Pet owners should be cautious of purchasing animal drugs on the Internet. The products may not be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pose a health threat to the pets.

(Distributed 11/20/07) WINNSBORO – Realizing that the many programs offered by a variety of agencies are powerful tools to address poor diet and inactivity, the LSU AgCenter brought together state and regional nutrition and health organizations for a Nutrition Connections Summit on Nov. 15.

(Distributed 11/20/07) The Louisiana 4-H Poultry Judging Team came home with first place honors in the national 4-H poultry judging competition held Nov. 14-15 in Louisville, Ky.

(Distributed 11/19/07) Milk prices are up, but feed prices are, too. That was bittersweet news at the LSU AgCenter’s dairy field day Nov. 13 at the Southeast Research Station in Franklinton.

(Distributed 11/19/07) More East Feliciana Parish students are receiving tutoring and enrichment programs after school through a cooperative effort between the LSU AgCenter and the East Feliciana School District.