Yesterday was as beautiful as the weatherman predicted, with brilliant blue skies and abundant sunshine — a perfect day to go rambling with my camera. I headed for one of my favorite country roads, MS Hwy. 22, which runs north and south between Edwards and Flora, Mississippi, winding its way through pasture lands and woodlands.
One of my favorite places along Hwy. 22 is an area about a mile long which is home to several trees that are covered with Spanish Moss (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you would like to get a closer look).
Having been born and raised in northeast Louisiana, and having lived in Mississippi most of my life, I am used to seeing moss-covered trees, but have never taken pictures of them until yesterday.
The moss-draped trees are beautiful from a distance, but up close the graceful, cascading tendrils of moss are truly a fascinating sight.
I did a little research on Spanish Moss (which is also called Florida Moss, Long Moss, or Graybeard), and found that it is not a true moss. It is an epiphyte — a plant that grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients; epiphytes make their own food. They are sometimes referred to as air plants because most have aerial roots; however, Spanish Moss does not have any roots. It uses its long, thin, scaly stems to wrap around the host tree and hang down from the branches.
You can see some scales in the next two pictures:
These cup-like, permeable scales catch moisture and nutrients from the air and from pockets on the surface of the host. This water-trapping ability allows Spanish Moss to withstand long dry periods. In extreme dry spells, the plant becomes dormant until moisture returns.
I love the way the delicate little tendrils weave their way from one branch to another ...
The lacy tendrils remind me of the exquisite tatting our grandmothers used to do ...
Now that I've told you probably way more than you want to know about moss, I'd like to share the rest of the pictures I captured.
I love this shot against the brilliant blue of the sky. Only God can create that shade of blue!
In places, the tangled masses of moss look like curtains hanging from the limbs of the trees ...
I loved exploring the mossy trees up close through the lens of my camera, and enjoyed learning a little about this amazing plant called Spanish Moss in the process.
I hope you will join me tomorrow to see more scenes I captured during my country roads adventure.
