Just last week, chatting through the Comments section, I was talking with Ellen Jennings from South Carolina (Passing By Photo) about the silvery moss in her photo of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. She told me about this plant, Spanish Moss, and that “It makes an elegant drape in many of the old trees.”
Yesterday when visiting the Dunedin Botanic Garden Propagation Facility during an open day, I was excited to find examples of this plant in various parts of the facility. Spanish Moss, Air Plant, (Tillandsia sp.)
First I’d like to present to you Ellen’s fabulous photo where you can see Spanish Moss growing in the wild, and then I’d like to share with you some examples that I saw while in the Propagation Facility. Click to Enlarge…
This photo of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was taken by Ellen Jennings of Passing By Photo, South Carolina (USA). Note the ‘Spanish Moss’ that we discussed.
Original Post: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Posing | October 10, 2017
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Here are photos that I took while visiting the Propagation Facility:
This was my favourite (above). Appears to have a Stags Horn Fern growing in it.
I assume these are babies being grown on for the Winter Garden Glasshouse (above and below)
Growing with lots of other plants (below)
Curtain of Spanish Moss (below), information card with it…
Spanish Moss trailing down a support frame (below):
Text and photos by Exploring Colour (2017) unless otherwise attributed
Exploring Colour 
I’m surprised that an institution in NZ would cultivate Spanish moss (which, as the sign indicates, is an epiphyte and not a moss). The species grows natively here in central Texas but isn’t as common as in some of the states farther east. Much more common here is a relative, Tillandsia recurvata, that grows in clumps or “balls” that have led to the common name ball moss:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/ball-moss/
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Hi Steve! The ball moss is very strange – thanks for the link. I’ve referred your comment to the Botanic Garden and have asked if they would like to respond. Thanks for your interest.
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Hi again Steve, the Curator of the Dunedin Botanic Garden commented within his email reply to me that “Spanish moss isn’t uncommon here in New Zealand many orchid growers and other City gardens grow it for display purposes or as a curiosity/interest”. Cheers, Liz
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Thanks for passing along his reply. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, given the large number of non-native species I saw being cultivated in New Zealand.
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love that night heron- what a beauty
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thank you for your comment! Ellen Jennings took a wonderful photo and I was so happy she allowed me to use it!
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Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the image.
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Liz, this is so interesting that they propagate the Spanish Moss, presumably to “decorate” other plantings at the botanical garden. Thank you for sharing my photo as part of your discussion.
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Thank you for letting me use your stunning photo Ellen! That’s what really got me interested to begin with – seeing the Spanish Moss growing in the wild. It looks so amazing in its natural environment. That just changed my whole perception of it!
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These air plants are amazing!
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Yes, they are amazing aren’t they? I didn’t realise how big they can grow!
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