*southern love

If you are in Camden County (and other areas of the south) you will see the trees adorned with this moss.  I know many say it is a parasite for the tree, but it actually doesn't take any nourishment from the tree, it is more of an air plant. However, due to the burden of the moss, it can cause a tree not to get ample sunlight needed to grow properly and the weight of a heavy load can cause the tree to be more susceptible to wind damage.   Many also would say that the trees look creepy to them with the moss hanging out, to me it just looks like my hometown and brings me a nostalgic feeling.  My husband and I have been gone from Camden for 26 years now but both of our parents remain there.  These pictures are from my visit a few weeks ago. This tale is told about the Spanish moss that hangs from the Live Oak Trees of Southeast Georgia - 

As the story goes; there was once a traveler who came with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start a plantation near the city of Charleston SC. She was a beautiful bride-to-be with long flowing raven hair. As the couple was walking over the plantation sight[sic] near the forest, and making plans for their future, they were suddenly attacked by a band of Cherokee who were not happy to share the land of their forefathers with strangers. As a final warning to stay away from the Cherokee nation, they cut off the long dark hair of the bride-to-be and threw it up in an old live oak tree. As the people came back day after day and week after week, they began to notice the hair had shriveled and turned grey and had begun spreading from tree to tree. Over the years the moss spread from South Carolina to Georgia and Florida. To this day, if one stands under a live oak tree, one will see the moss jump from tree to tree and defend itself with a large army of beetles. (taken from Wikipedia)