Bald Cypress

[Chris Calohan]

[sdwilsonsct]

Wow! That's a lotta lichen hanging off those photogenic trees.
My main comment, however, is that I cannot see the whole image at once on my laptop.  I can see Pramote's latest, at variable sizes, and with a nice black background.

[francois]

I like it, the lichen-covered trees really stand out.

[Chris Calohan]

I like it, the lichen-covered trees really stand out.

A lichen is a combination of an algae and a fungus. Moss, which is what hangs off these trees is a parasitic plant. Where I live, you'll find this variety which is called Spanish moss on Bald Cypress and Spanish Oaks (shipbuilding oaks) almost everywhere you look. But, thank you for the kind comments. These are truly magnificent trees in an even more magnificent natural area, untouched by any commercial venture (except the one that protects it and shows it off to the world), since the early 1900's. The spring which is the centerpiece for the Waukulla Basin, at its peak produces upward of 1,000,000 gallons of artesian water per minute.

[francois]

A lichen is a combination of an algae and a fungus. Moss, which is what hangs off these trees is a parasitic plant. Where I live, you'll find this variety which is called Spanish moss on Bald Cypress and Spanish Oaks (shipbuilding oaks) almost everywhere you look. But, thank you for the kind comments. These are truly magnificent trees in an even more magnificent natural area, untouched by any commercial venture (except the one that protects it and shows it off to the world), since the early 1900's. The spring which is the centerpiece for the Waukulla Basin, at its peak produces upward of 1,000,000 gallons of artesian water per minute.

Thanks for the info about lichens and Wakulla Basin. The vegetation and environment is very different from the Swiss Alps, that might explain my total ignorance!

[Chris Calohan]

That's okay..I thought it was so neat when I first encountered it, I made a headdress and strutted my stuff to anyone who would look. Of course, I didn't know the moss was host to a little critter called a red bug that would bite the stew out of you, leaving tiny little red marks wherever it bit. By the next morning, I looked as if I'd contracted the measels. Joke was on me.

I love the Swiss alps and hope some day to visit. In the meantime, I only have an experience with Banff in Northeastern Canada which while not nearly so high, are quite magnificent in their own right. Your photos of the area are always quite stunning.

[francois]

That's okay..I thought it was so neat when I first encountered it, I made a headdress and strutted my stuff to anyone who would look. Of course, I didn't know the moss was host to a little critter called a red bug that would bite the stew out of you, leaving tiny little red marks wherever it bit. By the next morning, I looked as if I'd contracted the measels. Joke was on me.

You didn't bite me in any way. I got a good laugh about my ignorance and I'm honestly & sincerely thankful that I was corrected.  

I love the Swiss alps and hope some day to visit. In the meantime, I only have an experience with Banff in Northeaster Canada which while not nearly so high, are quite magnificent in their own right. Your photos of the area are always quite stunning.

The Banff-Jasper area can be very similar to the alpine landscapes in Switzerland although our valleys are narrower and can be quite deep. If you happen to make your way to the Alps don't forget that the most spectacular mountains are over France, Switzerland and Italy. The area is rather small compared to Canada or the US but it takes time to travel from one valley to the next one.

Edit: corrected the quote indentation

[sdwilsonsct]

Moss, which is what hangs off these trees is a parasitic plant.

Good to know. Looked like the lichen Usnea to me, and Wikipedia says:
"The plant's specific name usneoides means "resembling Usnea", and it indeed closely resembles its namesake Usnea, also known as beard lichen, but in fact Spanish moss is not biologically related to either mosses or lichens. Instead, it is an angiosperm in the family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads)..."

[Chris Calohan]

Well, now I've learned something new...I only knew it wasn't a lichen.