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Glitter or Litter? The bead trees that bloom all year

Posted at 11:11 PM, Mar 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-06 00:11:55-05

Mardi Gras may be over, but it will likely look like Mardi Gras for a while. All you have to do is look up.

From Rio up to the King’s parade, year after year, Carnival season leaves its mark on Lafayette. We may not have very much by way of fall foliage but our trees glitter in Mardi Gras purple, green and gold.

The bead trees are in full bloom and it’s a sight you really don’t see anywhere else outside of Louisiana.

So for tourists like Marie Gonzales, visiting Louisiana from Brussels, it’s a scene worth capturing for friends and family back home.

“I am very happy to be here and I took some pictures of the area,” said Gonzales.

Through photos, the bead trees branch out on social media.

“Beaucoup de photo, beaucoup, beaucoup de photo…lots of pictures,” Gonzales said.

We all know their roots, a reminder of one heck of a party that is native to Louisiana year after year.

Some might see all that glitter in the trees as litter. KATC reached out to LCG but as of now, there is no effort or group that specifically cleans the beads from the trees.

In many cases, the beads stay up throughout the year, but if you see them on the ground, be sure to help in the cleanup.