When moss takes a lichen to a tree… Check out this Seville orange tree (Citrus aurantium) underneath a heavy canopy of moss. It’s beginning to bloom at @fortfredericanps on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It’s located just past Cross Street on the left side of Broad Street. When you visit Fort Frederica today, Broad Street and Cross Street are lined with live oaks. However, in the mid-18th century, the roads of the fort and town were lined with similar orange trees. These oranges are too tart to eat directly from the tree, but they could be made into jams and marmalades. The main reason for planting these trees was for their scent in hopes that a breeze down Broad Street would alleviate some of the smells of everyday life in a cramped town…if you know what we mean. But what about the moss? Is it even a lichen? The plant's specific name usneoides means "resembling Usnea", and it indeed superficially resembles its namesake Usnea, also known as beard lichen, but in fact, it is neither a l...