Our 2025 Mascot
Our good luck mascot for the 2025 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge is the Green Heron.
A Green Heron perches on a branch while hunting minnows in shallow water.
Photo CC-BY Amber M. King
These short herons hunt in wetlands and shallow water for frogs, fish, crawfish, insects and other aquatic organisms. They are often seen hunting with their long neck pulled in tight against the body, but it can spring out far to catch unsuspecting prey. Green Herons have been observed hunting with bait, like insects and bread, to attract fish toward them.
Adult Green Herons have a glossy, dark head and back and green wings with mesmerizing feather lines. The neck is a beautiful chestnut color with contrasting white lines down the front, leading to grayish-blue underparts. Bright yellow legs and eyes punctuate the streamlined body.
A Green Heron nest and eggs at Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Refuge.
Photo CC-BY-NC Karen Westphal.
Green Herons can be spotted all year in Louisiana, and breed in March and April. They make a platform style of nest made out of sticks in shrubs or trees near water. Juvenile herons are more brown overall with spots and can be seen throughout the summer months.
2025 Stickers
Come see us at a Baton Rouge City Nature Challenge event to get your limited edition 2025 sticker. The sticker is thick and durable water-resistant vinyl — perfect for your water bottle or laptop! A great way to remind yourself about the City Nature Challenge dates.
The 2025 sticker depicts a Green Heron hunting in tall grasses under the moonlight.
The Artist
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.