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Cypress Lake

Habitat History 

  • Cypress Lake was originally a bison wallow, going back to ancient times when bison herds wandering through the area stopped in the shade of the cypress grove, pawing and stomping at the ground. Eventually a depression in the ground formed. The grove was called a trou de taureau in Cajun French, or “bull hole”. Once the university opened its doors in 1900, the area, called Cypress Grove, served as a pigpen for the university farm in the 1910s and as an outdoor theater for Shakespearean productions, marching band practice, music and dance programs, and graduations during the ’20s and ’30s. Cypress Lake was flooded during World War II in the 1940's as a water reserve that could be used to extinguish possible fires from air attacks and converting the grove back into a pond would help the longterm health of the cypress trees. Today, it is a beautiful lake in the center of our campus. The 2-acre lake contains alligators, bullfrogs, 50-pound snapping turtle, yellow- and red-bellied turtles, soft-shell turtles, garfish, bass, carp and bream along with an abundance birds, native irises, and cypress trees. UL Lafayette is the only university in the United States with a managed wetland on its campus. 

In 2017 a new plaza was constructed around the union next to Cypress Lake, and in 2019 a second phase of the plaza was completed with the addition of pergolas and a pedestrian pier out to the center of the lake.

Students gathering Irises in Cypress Lake, Univeristy of Louisiana at Lafayette's Edith Garland Dupré Library Special Collections, n.d.

Cypress Lake Fun Facts:

Mating season for alligators happens every year in May or June, causing an increased presence of female alligators building their nests along the perimeter of the lake. Eggs, if deposited, are expected to hatch in mid-August through early September.

In 1962, Life magazine photographed students skating on Cypress Lake when it froze.

The large Oak Tree, south of the lake, was planted in honor of Edwin Stevens, the first and youngest president of the University, for his efforts as president, ecologist, and visionary.

Cypress Lake is home to many special species. One noteworthy species the special Abbeville Red Irisis 'Iris Nelsonii' which you can read about on our website. 

Cypress Lake Events

Each year, UL Lafayette holds a few of their campus traditions in Cypress Lake, Lagniappe Week and the Louisiana Ring Ceremony.

  • Lagniappe week, founded in 1974, includes events such as comedy shows and dive-in movies at the Student Aquatic Center, plus everyone's favorites: the crawfish boil and canoe races in the swamp. Start practicing now for the next Lagniappe Week so you don’t fall in!
  • The Louisiana Ring Ceremony celebrates the bond between all UL graduates. The Louisiana Ring tradition dates back to 2012. The rings are placed into a UL-customized canoe and spend the night in Cypress lake, guarded by the alligators and UL Lafayette personnel.