Local photographer, philanthropist, and consummate lover of Orlando, Jim Hobart, has been working on a series of featuring photos of Orlando’s live oak trees, specifically the ones filled with resurrection ferns.
Resurrection ferns (Pleopeltis polypodioides) is an epiphytic species of fern that anchors itself to the branches of mature trees. It has the ability to lose up to 97 percent of its water content during periods of dry weather or extreme drought and then miraculously come back to a healthy green once exposed to water. An epiphyte means it’s not a parasite, and rather just uses the trees to live on, rather than to steal nutrients from.
We gave the photos and their coordinates to our digital cartography friends at Sensarie (Website) who created the following interactive map. We will be adding to the map as Hobart’s efforts continue when the rainy season begins anew.
You can follow Jim’s work via his Macbeth Studio efforts (Facebook | Website) based out of the historic Angebilt Hotel in Downtown Orlando [GMap].
If you know of a tree that he should document for this project, reach out to him with a photo with location details at [email protected].
Editor’s Note: MacBeth Photo is hosting a fundraiser on February 2 for the Zebra Coalition at the CityArts Factory in Downtown Orlando. Click HERE for more information.
Cherokee Park has quite a few!
Lake Davis in Delaney park is surrounded by them.
Corner of Vanderbilt and DePauw in College Park