12A The Madison Enterprise-Recorder www.greenepublishing.comrn Friday, July S, 2005 Spanish Moss and Marsh Arabs As we gear up for the hottest part of the year, I thought I would start off with a geography question. There is only one county in Florida that is completely separated from the rest of the state by water. In other words, this county does not touch mainland Florida. Which one ? Everyone here knows what Spanish Moss is; almost all of us have some in our yards. There are few more recognizable emblems of the South than live oaks draped with moss, with a ground layer of azaleas for spring color effect. I suspect that about anyone in the world would recognize it. But do,you real- ly know what it is? I have had people tell me that it kills trees. that it is a parasite, that it destroys pecan crops. Such is not the case. Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides) is not a moss at all. but rather an epiphyte related to the pineapple. The plant lives from coastal Virginia throughout the American South, to the West Indies and south to Argentina. Spanish moss grows on trees, and only on trees and some other plants, for the mechan- ical support they provide. You don't see moss on telephone poles. The moss takes no nutrition from the host plant. (That being a parasite mistletoe is an example of one of our para- sites.) All food and water the moss needs is atmosphere borne. The only requirement the moss has is a host plant for physical support. While moss might grow on any of our trees, it seems to prefer live oak. Anyone want to guess why? The name "Spanish Moss" can be traced to the early Indian populations, who called the plant "tree hair." When the French rolled through, they called it "Spanish Beard," meant as an insult to their Spanish enemies. The Spanish retaliated in kind, and called the moss "French Hair." In the end, it w as the Spanish name that stuck. While Spanish Moss does not hurt the host plant, it will occasionally get so thick that. especially when soaking met. the weight will break branches. Again. w hen very thick, it might block sunlight from getting to leaves and buds, a bad thing in pecan orchards. As for why the moss likes live oaks, it doesn't. It likes almost any tree it can get estab- lished on. But live oaks have a tendency to get older than other trees. People like them in their yards. Live oaks have been cul- tivated and planted for centuries. As a result, the moss has a chance to get established and thrive for a long time. Most of the heavily laden trees will be in peoples yards or in pastures. If live oak had been merchantable, it would be a different story, as we would have cut them all down by now. By now you have gathered that Spanish Moss is a living plant. It has flowers, and fragrance, seed pods and means of dispersal. It also has wildlife value. Chiggers, small snakes,;and some bat species call it home. Any number of birds use the moss to make nests. but in particular, warblers. chickadees and mockingbirds. Squirrels use the moss extensively. One spider species uses the moss as its onl) habitat. While some folks might not consider chiggers or one spider as wildlife. they too have a place in the-sc nfithigs. The birds and squirrels help spread the plant by moving it from location to location. People used Spanish Moss extensively before the modern world caught on around 1947. World War H changed the world forever, and old ways died quickly. Indians made robes of moss, and decorated them. Early Europeans tried the moss as livestock fodder, but while bulk), it has little nutritional value. They also mixed mud with the moss to caulk their homes. Moss recovered from caulking after one hundred fifty years had not deteriorated much. Dr. moss is good fuel to start a fire., Because it retains moisture so well, it was commonly used in early settler gardens as mulch. Moss was used for packag- ing fragile goods, saddle blankets, material to braid bridles, and e'en to repair torn nets on the coast. People spent careers as moss pickers, and until around 1960. there were still com- mercial moss operations in Florida and Louisiana. As recently as 1939, some 15,000 tons of moss was gathered and sold. Generally, moss was picked in the winter when the plant was dormant and not easil) damaged. One large tree might yield a ton of moss. The moss was then to hung to dry in "moss ards", ridding it of chiggers, snakes, and other little critters, and then used to stuff mattresses and early auto seats. Henry Ford used moss to stuff the seats of his first Model T's. Herbalists used moss to concoct potions to treat rheumatism, diabetes aid other ailments. From 1998 until now, research at Northeast Louisiana University has been directed at using moss deriva- tives to control blood glucose levels. Toda). for all practical purposes. use of Spanish NMoss is relegated to the arts and crafts and floral industries. I'm running out of room here, so the Marsh Arab tale might have to wait till another da). Suffice to say that, among other crimes that Saddam might have committed, he was responsible for the destruction of the marshes of Nlesopotamia. Until 1985, the Iraqi marshlands covered something like 20,000 square miles and were the traditional home to the Nlarsh Arabs. These marshes existed for thousands of ears, home to numerous rare plants and animals. Scholars often point to this area as the most likely site of the Garden of Eden. Saddam essentially wiped them out. When we get finished restoring the Everglades, maybe we can move the operation over there and clean up the Iraqi marshes, or what is left of them. There is quite a bit of skulduggery to go with this stor), and it is filled with politics, money and intrigue. Imagine that. On another side, can you believe the Supreme Court and their recent decision about private property rights? I'm about tired of the political hacks that represent me. Seemnis like they) have all managed to get rich while serving no one but them- selves. But I have an idea. I think instead of people begging to get elected, we should choose the ones we want and make them go. I hereby nominate A.T. Gibsoni and Tommy Greene to rep- resent us in Congress. There would be good sport and good bal- ance on that ticket, and I suspect that change would come about shortly. And, the separated Florida county is Hamilton County. National Fishing & Boating Week, Aims To Hook Kids On Angling Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that kids spend an astounding 44 hours a week with TV, com- puters and video games. Per-- haps that's why Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods,", says that kids today suffer. from "nature-deficit disorder." The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF' suggests that, parents seeking a cure should try fam- ily fishing. ' National Fishing & Boat- ing Week (NFBW), was creat- 'ed to get families moving in the right direction. From Cali- fornia to Florida, and in most states in between, more than 1200 on-water events are planned, including fishing derbies, regattas and festivals. The aim is to help kids con- nect to nature and build a foundation to stall connected into adulthood. To make it eas\ to find scheduled events, times and. locations all across the U.S.. the nonprofit Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation has. posted a comprehensive listing on its public-ser\ ice ,\ ebsite, takemefishing.org. Events can be searched b) state, town and zip code to identify family-oriented fish- ing and boating activities close to home. At a time when many par-, ents are concerned that their kids spend far too much time indoors, fishing is a good w\a\ to motivate them to get off the couch. "I'Fx interviewed many parents across the coun- try %\ho want to get their kids outside, but the\ don't neces- sarily know where to go or how to do it," said author 'Lou\. "Because it's so eas\ to do and so widely accessible. fishing is a great solution for many parents." S"Fishing differs from manN other forms of outdoor recreation because it not only gives kids a lasting \\aN to connect to nature, it improves family communication .in wa\s few acti\ cities can." says Bruce Matthews. president of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation. "National Fishing & Boating Week gets things headed in the right di- rection by getting kids inter- ested in fishing and boating early." Dean Cain Serves as 2005, NFBW Honorary Chairperson To help spread the word that, fishing is a great pastime for families, actor Dean Cain has agreed to be the 2005 hon- orarl chairperson of National Fishing & Boating Week. Best known for his role as Super- man/Clark Kent in "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." Cain is an avid angler who enjo s fishing with his four-year-old son. Cain w ill be in New York City on June 2 and 3 doing media interviews to promote NFBW and to discuss how fishing : benefits kids. Free-Fishing Days Mean There's No Excuse Not to Go Fishing To provide families an opportunity to try recre- ational fishing 'without the commitment of purchasing a fishing license, most states now sponsor free-fishing days when no license is required. Many states ha'e scheduled these da\ s during NFBW, pro- viding an additional incentive for people to get out on the water. A complete state-by- state listing of free-fishing days can be found at takeme- fishmng.org. Since 1991. fishing par- ticipation rates ha\e been in a slot decline. In response to this trend, organizations like RBFF haxe launched a variety of efforts and events such as NFB\V aimed at stemming the tide and ensuring a strong fu- rure for one of America's fa- vorite recreational activities. NFBW is also part of Great Outdoors lMonth., designated b\ presidential decree as the month of June. During Great Outdoors Month, state and federal agencies, conserx aion groups,. service pro iders and related businesses are holding family events in communities across the country. According to RBFF. more than 50 million Americans participate in fishing and boat- ing every year: that's more than play golf and tennis com- Continued on page 13 -he Lazer Z' c:tnursto Iead by .-eaYmple'. -ind ; at-lo b-c-Dminrg thp preferred -I'10ce arnonq IMJ'E' proper.;,'3rd icmrlaqe c vne .On e r-si higher hcrseorc.'.'er. commer.-ial- qrade erne' -ption, 4.:)the~r IarqE.:r heaj.,'dutv. fr~rm7d .and %,~E-Ided Ultraf-t' jt e.:k j.Z A third, the simplete.'ac-perate controls All1 or'eat. .7a3;cnri..:,r ',-''U T.Z .-h~eck ciuE thes ultrn.rnjtenc'i.-irg S20., 23.,and 27-hp Kohler' encine --prc'ns. S52': 60" or 72' Full-floating UltraCut dec-k- options. www. exmark.com GORDON TRACTOR, INC. Parts Sales Service 715 S. Range St., Madison 850-973-2245 1722 S. Ohio Ave., Live Oak 386-362-1887 - !I. II |I IIl I I Choose what the pros use for beautifully mflnflicured results every time. MIKE'S MARINE SUPPLYY U.S. 98 Panacea, FL 850-984-5637 850-984-5698 fax www.mikesmanne-panacea.com Mike Falk, owner AqD cwh 16900+sq.ft 0 F Pontoons A great catchl BOSmMv-, LAin h"ERCURY 'IOn Thle Water -Imp- 4L