Susan at A Southern Daydreamer is the gracious hostess for Outdoor Wednesday. Participants post pictures of anything that they might find outdoors. Come join in.An oddity in this new land where I've moved is Spanish moss or graybeard. It's also called Florida moss and long moss.
Spanish moss is not a true moss. It is an epiphytic plant, which make its own food. Read more about it here. It does not grow in South Florida, where I've lived for the past forty-five years, but it is all over the Tampa area. I took these pictures on two different days.
Some people think it's awful; some love it. What's your opinion?
40 comments:
Since I grew up in the Tampa area, it reminds me of home.
I LOVE it! As soon as I saw your post title I had to look!
It reminds me of St. Simons Island...one of my favorite places on the planet!
Becky K.
Well I've only seen that kind of moss in bags in Michael's so to see the real thing I think looks amazing. In England where I grew up we'd get green 'furry' moss growing up trees and even on peoples roofs, or along the edges of streams, wherever it was damp really. I always liked the feel of that.
Thanks for sharing, your pictures are lovely.
I have always loved the look of it. It makes me think of the South as that is where I have most often noticed it. I heard that it is filled with biting bugs. Is that right?
It think it is cool. Growing up in northern California, that's something I hadn't seen in person, just in the movies, until I moved to Florida. It reminds me of those southern plantations.
I hope all is well with you and that the new house is coming along nicely!
Hugs, B.
I like to see Spanish moss swaying from the trees, but it does have chiggers in it. That's where the expression came from, "Don't let the bedbugs bite". In the early settler days, they used the moss to stuff their mattress. Just a tidbit of information. :)
Hugs,
Chris
I could never "hate" you Sally!
The best part about the farm is that I get to live chat with a lot of my blogging friends that are farmers too.
Awesome. Great shots Sally.
Growing up in Tampa (like Patti VZ), it reminds me of home...as young kids we use to play with the crazy stuff. Didn't handle it much because of the bugs, though~lol!
Thanks for the memories, Sally!
Hugs,
Lynn♥
~Let FREEDOM Ring!~
Growing up in Tampa (like Patti VZ), it reminds me of home...as young kids we use to play with the crazy stuff. Didn't handle it much because of the bugs, though~lol!
Thanks for the memories, Sally!
Hugs,
Lynn♥
~Let FREEDOM Ring!~
Growing up in Tampa (like Patti VZ), it reminds me of home...as young kids we use to play with the crazy stuff. Didn't handle it much because of the bugs, though~lol!
Thanks for the memories, Sally!
Hugs,
Lynn♥
~Let FREEDOM Ring!~
That is really neat looking!!!That is wild how it is all over in your new area.
Sally, I just love seeing moss hanging from the HUGE oak trees and swaying in the breeze... Chris is so right... they are loaded with chiggers or redbugs and once you get them they are hard to get rid of... Had them a lot when I was a kid from playing out in the woods... But it is beautiful!
Have Fun
(((HUGS)))
Donna
It sort of looks like a green curtain! Though I am not sure if I like it. Coz I have never seen it in real :)
♥ Chaitra
I think that it's pretty darn cool. I too have only seen it in Michael's, so to see where it comes from is interesting. It makes me think of the old plantations that you only see in the movies or read about in novels. Hope you're having a good day! ~ Robyn
Sally, these are wonderful photos. They have a mystical quality about them. Thanks for sharing them with us. I hope you are having a wonderful day.
I love Spanish moss. I think it pretty and romantic-looking. They don't have it here but do in the coastal areas of SC
Very interesting. I have been to Tampa but I don't remember seeing this. From a distance it doesn't appeal to me but I'm sure if I lived there I would like it. I didn't like the "stuff" growing in Arizona before I moved here. But now.......
i love love love it
Personally, I love it! I've seen it in part of South Carolina.
I love the look of the moss from the trees. beautiful shots.
Sally
I don't think its pretty but I love looking at it....
Judi
I've seen Spanish Moss on the Live Oak trees all over Florida, Louisiana, parts of Texas ---and even Savannah and Charleston. I love the big Live Oak trees ---and I like the Spanish moss. However, it's full of bugs---so I don't want it too close to me!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
Hey Sally; What great photos of the moss, They look just so pretty hanging down on the trees...
thanks for sharing;
Hugs;
Alaura
Well, being used to this dry West Texas plains where not all that many trees grow...this gives me the creeps!!
Happy Wednesday..
I like the first picture. But I don't think the others are very pretty, just looks like parts of Florida.
I love it, we have alot in our Natchez area and in LA. I love pictures with moss in cyprus trees along a water way or in the the oaks surrounding the old plantation homes.
I've never seen anything like that before! It's interesting looking. I think I'd need to see it in person to decide my "true" feelings :)
take care,
Dawn
Good morning Sally, I just realized I never made it to your post yesterday. As far as Spanish moss is concerned I do not admire that stuff at all. Probably because I grew up in Fl. since I was nine and I missed MI and the farm so much as a kid, I didn't like Fl. at all. Moss just looked scary to me. Smiling. I did grow to love Florida eventually.
Thanks for your comment about the castle post. I love sharing things I have seen. I always wonder if my blogging friends don't get sick of all that I post. LOL. This is a looong post, but it is hard to leave things out. I struggle with that.
Have a happy day Sally.
Hugs...Jeanne
I love it.We used to bring it home when we went to Florida, when I was a kid .
I love Spanish moss. I use to love to see it when we went to the coast of NC.
Love it! Grew up with it. To me, it's romantic, though it can be messy after a rain storm when its all over your grass. ;-)
I've always heard it called Spanish moss. But when I was little, we used to call oaks with moss "grandfather trees". I guess that goes with graybeard.
There was a moss blight about twenty years ago in Central Florida according to a friend of mine who is a horticulurist, and he told me back then specifically not to ever let anyone convince us to spray the moss on our huge magnolia to kill it. Sometimes, people will offer to thin moss for you, and that's because they want to sell it. I think thinning would be okay, but spraying it is not a good idea from what my friend said.
In St. Augustine during the 1800's, the servants at the Fatio House had mattresses made from moss... and I can't imagine how that must have itched. It can have little buggies in it.
I'm officially on break, but I will see you when I return (if not before). Just wanted you to know if I go MIA on you where I am.
XO,
Sheila :-)
I kind of like it, as it is so different from what we see here in the West. Sally
I lived in the Tampa Bay area for along time, in fact, we still have a home there and we have it in our backyard. Too much of it looks eerie to me but a little bit here and there looks tranquil, in my opinion....Christine
I think it's beautiful. We don't have anything like that here that I know of. It's very pretty.
Love it...very mysterious and romantic looking...although, I've heard it can harbor buggies. So it's not good to try and take it home with you. But I love viewing it from afar. :-)
Susan
I think the moss on trees gives off a nice look. I am from East Texas and the some of the lakes around thee have a lot moss and it look great. You sure have a lot of differnen sights to share in your new surroundings.
Say Sally,
Someone commented that my Outdoor Wednesday post would have made a great Blue Monday post as well, Here is the link:
http://oakrisecottage.blogspot.com/2009/08/outdoor-wednesday-inside-out-backyard.html
Carrie
What gorgeous, majestic, romantic articles of nature!!
Big Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents
Funny you should post this. I went on my first trip to Tampa this past April , and the trees with the Spanish moss are my greatest memory! I wish I had gathered some to bring back home! Come and visit Applejack Lane in the Shenandoah Valley of Va.
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