Those growths could be either lichens, moss or algae, and the good news is that none are cause for alarm.īecause they usually grow on stressed or declining trees, many people assume these organisms are responsible for making their trees sick. For instance, what are those green masses growing on your trees? Indians and early settlers often boiled the moss or laid it on a rack over a smoky fire (making sure it didn't catch fire!) to kill or remove the bugs.Now that deciduous trees are bare, trunks and branches have taken center stage, and you might be noticing nuances and irregularities that evaded your attention over the summer. Before Spanish moss can be used by humans it must be treated to remove the bugs. Be sure to mention that Spanish moss has tiny bugs that live on it called chiggers or red bugs that cause an uncomfortable itch if they get on your skin. If your class visits Kingsley Plantation, have your students look for Spanish moss in the trees.
Over the years the name took on what some people thought to be a more sophisticated name, Spanish moss. When the French arrived in what we call America, they asked the same question of the Native Americans, and the natives replied that it was "tree hair," or "Itla-okla." The French used their own imaginations and called it Spanish Beard, because it reminded them of the long black beards of the earlier Spanish explorers.
Students will identify uses of Spanish moss from the time of the Timucua Indians to the present. John's River have used Spanish Moss is many ways. Grade Level: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade Subject: Literacy and Language Arts,Science
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