Tag Archives: epiphytes

X is for Xerophytes

Posted by Lesley on June 30, 2010 4 comments

I’ve written about my epiphytes in past posts, and thanks to ABC Wednesday and the 1997 edition of The Merriam-Webster Dictionary that sits on my nightstand, I’m ready to write about my Xerophytes.  Epiphytes, such as the ball moss in the grapefruit tree, are plants that survive with no soil.  Xerophytes, most commonly cacti and succulents, are plants that survive with hardly any water.  Bromeliads are another example, except I don’t have any of those.  Here’s a Xerophyte I do have:

It’s the tall spiky succulent in the back.  It’s commonly known as Milk barrel and formally known as Euphorbia horrida.  Every rose has its thorn, but in this case, the two are one in the same.  The spikes are left behind when the flower finishes blooming.  I’m looking forward to seeing it bloom; the spikes are pink.        

Anna Maria Island Getaway

Posted by Lesley on March 22, 2010 3 comments

John and I felt like being tourists for a day, so we headed up to Anna Maria Island on Saturday.  I wanted to check out the Bridge Street Market.  It runs November through May from 9 am to 2 pm, but check the events calendar before heading out as it’s not open every Saturday.  

It’s a small outdoor market with about 20 vendors.  Although there’s one produce stand and one plant stand, I wouldn’t consider it a farmers market.  The majority of vendors sell crafts.  There are handmade aprons, bags, headbands, and jewelry.

My favorite was the plant stand; there were boxes full of air plants – Tillandsia varieties. 

Air plants are also known as epiphytes.  They’re not parasites; but they grow on other plants, mostly trees.  I picked up a couple of Tillandsia ionantha minis for only a dollar a piece.  John grabbed a fish taco, and we were off to the beach.  Here’s the view from my beach chair: 

After a few hours on the beach, it was on to the Sun House for wine and appetizers on the roof.  I knew we were at the right place from the moment we stepped on the elevator The Sunshine Express.

Unfortunately, we were about three hours too early but what made us choose The Sun House, besides the view…

…was their sunset ritual - the whole restaurant breaks out in song!  But not just any song, it is the Sun House after all; everybody sings You Are My Sunshine.  And next time, we’ll be singing too!  It’s now on my must-do list.        

Our day didn’t end at the Sun House, but I’ll leave that for tomorrow…