Epiphytic Epiphany
I’ve been surrounded by them for years, and found myself briefly captivated by them from time-to-time. But until recently, I knew very little about Epiphytes. As, I have discovered over the last few weeks, NSB is teeming with them. And our Epiphytes are quite captivating.
So, what the hell am I talking about?
Per Miriam Webster: epi·phyte | \ ˈe-pə-ˌfīt – a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and grows usually on another plant. Epi is the latin root for “on”, and phyte, for “plant.”
Epiphytes are interesting in that they live on another plant or tree, but they are not parasitic. Generally, they don’t do any harm to the host plant. Epiphytes come in many forms, including ferns, orchids, mosses, bromeliads, lichens and even some fungi. So Miriam Webster isn’t 100% accurate in their definition. As I witnessed, These organisms are all over our beachside town.
I recently enrolled in a course from UF’s Florida Naturalist Program where we toured Volusia County, learning about the area’s ecology. One of the items that seemed the most interesting to me was the focus on epiphytes. Like most of you, I was quite familiar with Spanish Moss, and Ball Moss, which cover many trees in the city. However, I was unaware of how many other cool epiphytes adorned our local trees.
So, armed with a little knowledge and my trusty Nikon, I started wandering NSB with my head up in the leaves. I noticed epiphytes everywhere I roamed, seaside parks, coastal areas, forested wetlands, touristy areas, restaurants and retails establishments… EVERYWHERE!
After realizing how many different varieties were on display in NSB, I thought it might be useful to put together a quick guide (linked below).
What follows below this article is a quick guide to our city’s epiphytes. Take a gander, and then get out of the house and find some of your own. Hopefully you’ll learn something new, experience some of nature’s wonder, and get a little fresh air.
Although epiphytes are prevalent throughout our city, there were a few places that stood out for spotting them. My favorite location was Indian River Lagoon Park on NSB’s Beachside. Touring that coastal park, you’ll spot a handful of common epiphytes throughout the canopy. With a keen eye, you might spot one or two less prevalent ones. Other areas with a nice variety of epiphytes are western Flagler Avenue and Riverfront Drive, particularly north of Canal Street.
My favorite new epiphyte finding was Shoestring Fern, which I spotted in a few places. I found it interesting that I had walked by both locations many times previously and never spotted them. By opening my eyes a little and slowing down my pace, I was excited by what I discovered.
Resurrection Fern can be found throughout the city, often adroning large branches on our area Live Oaks. It is an interesting epiphyte with an unusual superpower. The plant has the ability to live long periods of time in a dormant state, where the leaves turn brown and curl up, then at the first sight of rain, they turn back into a lush green fern. They can actually lose up to 97% of their water content and still live as a viable plant.
As I wandered the area, I also learned a bit more about Staghorn Ferns. They are a non-native epiphyte that is most often seen hanging from a large bough beneath a tree, often weighing more than 100 pounds. I spotted one at the Garlic that actually was so large that there was a Palmetto growing inside it – a weird twist where an epiphyte hosts a tree. I also found a rare local occurrence where it was actually growing on a host tree.
New Smyrna also boasts some beautiful orchids such as the Butterfly Orchid and Greenfly Orchid. I came upon a few other non-flowering orchids which meant I couldn’t identify them… yet. I’ll return over the course of the year to see how they ultimately end up flowering.
During my journeys, I had the added benefit of viewing many more birds than I normally would spot. I’d highly recommend doing your exploring with open eyes and ears. It’s a great way to experience even more of what our area’s ecology has to offer.
Before you head out, take a look at our guide below to familiarize yourself with some of the epiphytes of New Smyrna Beach. Then, get out there and explore. While I’ve identified 15 or so, there are many more out there waiting to be spotted.
Click here: NSB Epiphyte Identification Page
When you find one that’s not on our list, do us favor and send us a photo and a location. You can reach us at our Facebook page, or through Instagram. You can also send an email to bc@nsbguide.com.
Happy trails!
