Red maple (Acer rubrum) is a well-known large tree of moist places throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada with distinctive 3 or 5-lobed leaves. Even in Florida, this deciduous tree brings red and yellow fall color.
A substantial specimen grows adjacent to the Ryall House at the South Prong Slough where we visited on 5/15/2022. Its furrowed trunk is festooned with lovely lichens and epiphytes.
Check out the southern needleleaf (Tillandsia setacea) …
Red maple also grows in the small band of freshwater wetlands at the south Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area with an impressive coating of lichens and southern needleaf …
Though we usually associate southern needleleaf and other epiphytes with the deeply furrowed bark of live oak (Quercus virginiana), other plants like red maple and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) – under the right conditions – also support epiphytes. Check out the gorgeous green wild pine (Tillandsia utriculata) atop a red maple at SORCA …
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 