The Live Oak & Spanish Moss

By Lori Smaltz written 5/11/08 3:09 PM, published 5/13/08 11:46 PM

  • And you ask yourself --- uh well are the other Oaks dead then? I wondered too.
  • The fact is that the Live Oak is actually related to the evergreen and remains green throughout winter while the other oaks drop leaves and look dead.
  • Most times when I see a live oak it has a special little biological parasite called Spanish Moss, dripping from the large branches, sort of resembling a messy hair-do or a bad weave! However it falls, it diffuses light or offers reflective light and depending on how much moisture is in the Spanish Moss at that given time, sets up a nice situation for a photo.
A warning to tourists: Don't try to take home the Spanish Moss! -- little red bugs live in it (similar to chiggers) .
  • One of the trees in this series is commonly referred to as only; The Majestic Oak. It is over 360 years old, can you guess which one it is?
Live Oak


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