<P> In the southern U.S., the plant seems to show a preference for growth on southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) because of these trees' high rates of foliar mineral leaching (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus) providing an abundant supply of nutrients to the plant, but it can also colonize other tree species such as sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), crepe - myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp .), other oaks, and even pines . </P> <P> Spanish - moss shelters a number of creatures, including rat snakes and three species of bats . One species of jumping spider, Pelegrina tillandsiae, has been found only on Spanish - moss . Chiggers, though widely assumed to infest Spanish - moss, were not present among thousands of other arthropods identified in one study . </P> <P> Due to its propensity for growing in subtropical humid southern locales like Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, extreme southern Virginia, east and south Texas, and Alabama, the plant is often associated with Southern Gothic imagery and Deep South culture . </P> <P> One story of the origin on Spanish moss is called "The Meanest Man Who Ever Lived". The man's white hair grew very long and got caught on trees . </P>

Where does spanish moss grow in the us