The Angel Oak's sprawling boughs offer 17,000 square feet of shade – they also offer a home to the amazing species known as the resurrection fern!
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Resurrection fern gets its name because, during long periods of drought, it crumples up and appears to be dead. Once the rain returns, the fern "resurrects" itself and becomes green again. The fern is commonly seen in the Southeast, where it typically attaches itself to live oaks and cypress trees.
Resurrection fern lives harmoniously with live oaks because they get nutrients from the air and from water that gathers on the bark's surface. It does not take any nutrients away from the tree itself. Another plant similar to this is Spanish moss, which can also be found hanging from the Angel Oak's branches. However, unlike resurrection fern, Spanish moss can harm a tree because its long tendrils sometimes prevent the tree's leaves from reaching sunlight.
Gary DuBose of Seneca took this shot of the venerable Angel Oak on Johns Island in April 2008.
He writes, "The Angel Oak, located near Charleston, is one of the largest live oaks living in the world. An impressive sight, the spread of its limbs has a diameter of over 160 feet and the tree itself is thought to be almost 1,500 years old. It had been living for 1,000 years before Columbus landed in the New World."
Learn more about the Angel Oak.
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