Backlit

Pink Pentas welcoming the Morning Sun. The Stuff hanging from the limbs of the Oak Trees in the background is Spanish Moss, an Angiosperm in the Bromeliad Family. Native from the Southeastern United States to Argentina, Spanish Moss or 'Old Man's Beard', thrives in a warm climate and high humidity. It has been introduced around the world including Hawaii and Australia.

Spanish Moss is an Epiphyte, absorbing nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It propagates by seeds and fragments blown on the wind or used as nesting materials by birds and small mammals.

This organism doesn't harm a tree outright but can block the sun and when rain-soaked can weigh down branches so much that they snap. Clumps of it also create Wind Resistance and during strong storms can help topple a host tree.

Spanish Moss was used in the past to stuff mattresses and car seats. It is still collected and used in arts and crafts, as bedding for gardens, and as an ingredient in the traditional wall covering material...Bousillage. I use it in the Winter to Insulate the roots of delicate plants.

How I got from Backlit Pentas to all this on Spanish Moss, I have No Clue. But I enjoyed sharing it with you :)