I have found the map that I saw earlier that mentioned spanish moss in Maryland. It is the 5th edition of ADC maps Maryland and Delaware street map. It has a blurb about the diversity of Maryland and proclaims that the state contains "vast riverside stretches overgrown with spanish moss". This is extremely perplexing. Either they are very confused or there is some river on the eastern shore that we're all forgetting. Worcester county is the only county that lists tillandsia usneoides as a rare or endangered plant on its official list, so perhaps we can limit the search to just that county.

A fact that I find interesting is: Pensacola Fl. is on one side of Perdido Bay, Lillian Alabama is on the other side. Pensacola has loads of the stuff all along the bay, but here on the Lillian side we have none. Some of us have carried it over to our side of the bay, but it seems to just dissapear. For one thing the Blue Jays love to line their nests with it.

This is an interesting thread. I wish I'd begun reading it earlier.

I don't know if this is the truth, but I recall someone telling me there was a blight on SM in South Carolina back in the 1970s which wiped out the moss in some areas and it has been slowly returning. Which explains why there's not much moss in some areas, even though the climate is suitable.

I've just found this site & read all these posts and thought you might be interested to know that I have had a couple small clumps of spanish moss growing from a fruitless mulberry tree in Southern California for 3 years. It hasn't grown in size much, but is beautiful and flowers every year. I just ordered 10# of it from Florida and plan to hang it from a very large locust tree in my yard. I also grow tsilandsia. We have some humidity and hot summers with usually mild winters, but it's not nearly as humid as in FL or GA or SC, etc. Anyway, I enjoyed your posts and hope my new shippment will adapt well.
Jodi

You all have made me so homesick!!! Jodizbird..I guess we never know unless we ask but what does the flower look like?
I just think the moss is wonderful..cannot grow it in Middle TN. but I sure have some of it under glass, etc..
but would just love to hear how and when it flowers??

I know this thread is old. But I hope I can add some information that I have not only come across but also learned first hand.

First, Spanish Moss is a beautiful, wonderful, and mysterious plant.

Second, SM is more moisture dependent than temperature dependent. I think we established that already. I live on Kent Island, an island in the northern Chesapeake Bay, and I have had Spanish Moss on my loblollies (southern pines) for years.

Third, birds love SM when it is not found abundantly in their ecosystem. They will take it and run. I have replenished my SM several times from Va Beach, NC, SC, and even GA.

Fourth, SM grew once but is now classified as extirpated (if that is the right word) or extinct, in Maryland. I have never seen it anywhere in Maryland except on my pine trees and I did put some near Ocean City Maryland once on route 90. Not sure if it is still there.

Fifth, I never saw the moss in DE though I lived in Ocean City, MD for many years (very close to this area). I am not saying it wasn't there. I did look for it though. I read that it was historically present along the Pocomoke R. in Worcester Co. but is now gone. Along Route 54 in the cypress forest, no moss can be seen.

Sixth, I am aware of the northern Cypress stands in DE, Calvert CO, MD and Worcester CO, MD. I have been to these areas and the bald cypress even grows on Kent Island where I grew up, though planted. But the presence of cypress doesn't indicate the existence of Spanish Moss.

Seventh, it is all about microclimate. Moisture does it for SM.

Eighth, DE was a border, slave state so some Delawareans take offense at being called Yankees (see previous post). Most of DE was agricultural but by the time 1860 rolled around, there were less than 2000 slaves in the whole state. I digress.

In my analysis.....Spanish Moss will grow where it doesn't presently thrive but it needs moisture, warmth, a host tree with nutrients, and good air.

Further, where live oak live occur naturally....Spanish Moss does (to VA Beach) Where Alligators live naturally, sabal palms do (About Wilmington, NC) See the trend? But trends aren't static. Hence my sabal and needle palm as well as my loblollies full of moss on Kent Island, MD.

I must be the only person on here who wants to get rid of the spanish moss. I have 5 acreas of land with mostly oak trees on it. Not the live oak, but scrub oak, or as my daddy puts it water oak. I'm not sure the exact type myself, just know their not the live oaks. Anyhow, these trees are covered in moss! It is taking over everything. I have a lot of dogwood trees, but you wouldnt be able to tell come spring because of all the moss on them. I pull down what I can reach,(thank goodness the moss I have doesnt have the red bugs, been here for 2 years now and havent been bit yet!) but it doesnt put a dent in it. Does anyone know a way to get RID of it?

This is in reply to the fellow from Kent Island Md. I agree 100% I have had SM on a pair of Bald cypress in my back yard in Williamsburg and they do just fine. Birds steal it and I replace what is taken. I have noticed that in the northern part of the range of SM that the moss clings to the trunk of specific tress that slough off the nutrients. Cyress, oaks, even rough barked pines. Anyone who wants to see a great example go to Va Beach.

I have some die back each year with SM but recovery is full by the end of summer. I am from MD and have never seen it in the Pocomoke or Trap pond area or anywhere north of Va Beach. Would love to know if there is a spot outside of seashore St Park AKA 1st land that SM grows in Virginia.

I was thinking of trying ball moss that I have seen in FL next but this maybe pushing it!

Thanks for the read Kent Island.

Interesting blog...thought I would let you all know that I transplanted spanish moss from Florida to my home in Evansville Indiana two years ago and it flourished. In fact, I noticed that it is now in my neighbors tree (assuming that the birds re-located it). I have also grown windmill and dwarf palmetto palms here outdoors without any problem. Everything has survived 0F with only minor burning to one of the windmill palms.

Spanish moss grows in several areas in Virginia Beach. It grows in Seashore State Park (now called First Landing State Park) in abundance and also on Knotts Island in southern Virginia Beach. There used to be more that grew throughout the area, but development has cut back on their habitat. Other then the Dismal Swamp in neighboring Chesapeake/Suffolk I do not think spanish moss grows (at least as a native plant) north of Southeastern Virginia. There is a stand of native sabal palms in an undeveloped area of Virginia Beach between the sand dunes. It is called False Cape and it was reported in the local paper. Also alligators live in Tyrell County North Carolina, which is about 60 miles south of the Virginia line... much futher north then Wilmington.. they are not as big.. but the live in the Alligator River

Ran accross your article regarding Spanish moss. I think it occurence is
sporadic(especially at its northern limits) due to
inadvertent or intentional introduction, but locally
abundant in the deep south. I can tell you for sure
that it can be found in the Seashorepark in extreme SE
VA just north of NC and it is present in the cypress
trees of the Chicahominiy river from James city county
(the mouth of the river) up to Hanover county (just
north of Richmond). The presence varies from year to
year, but I have seen it and it is well known. I
think it varies with the winter, the warmer/wetter the
winter the more you see. South of Fredericksburg VA
it doesn't drop below freezing to often and if it does
it is not consistent enough to freeze over any large
body of water. Big snows are very rare from Richmond
south and east. In fact, below is a Va. Game Warden, Greenlee, refering to where you can find it in the swamp (Va. Game and Fish digest excerpt). I have personally seen it on that river as recently as 5 years ago just east of Richmond on the outskirts of town in the New Kent/Hanover/Henrico area:

"At the mouth of the Chickahominy River anglers can
use Riverside Park (formerly Powhatan Resort), which
is a James City County owned ramp. The Brick Yard
Landing is in the middle Chickahominy River and offers
anglers a chance to run upriver toward Walker's Dam.
There are plenty of weedbeds and lily pads, sloughs
and backwaters with standing timber that hold good
crappie angling. And it's a scenic trip, complete with
Spanish moss.

For more information on the Tidewater Region, call
(757) 253-7072."

How fast does Spanish Moss replenish itself? Here in New Orleans, Katrina blew away most of what was hanging around. There's just little patches here and there that will hopefully repopulate the city. I would transplant some fram Lafayette but I'm worried about unintentionally transporting a bug or disease in. We have enough problems here without adding a new fungus to the mix.

dmason - when have you seen spanish moss on the chickahominy river? I just spent the last 2 years living in Richmond and have spent a lot of time on the river for pleasure and work research and never saw any moss along it, and ive been on parts from the Mechanicsville turnpike crossing all the way to its mouth in james city/charles city. Lots of nice cypress trees, but no spanish moss to be found. I agree the weather warms quickly as you travel south of fredericksburg, it was a pleasantly warm supprise seeing that my home town is only 70 miles northeast as the crow flies, but a good 4-6 degrees colder on any given winter's day.

I've tried transplanting the stuff to southern maryland, it didnt totally die, tho it would look rough every winter, but be followed with new greenish grey growth and yellow flowers in the spring, alas the birds do love the stuff and its all but been pilfered.

I also lived in salisbury for 4 years and did lots of recreation and research along the pocomoke from southern delaware to near its mouth, and have been to the wildlife refuge near roxana/bethany beach in southeastern delaware, and again, no spanish moss. Unless someone can physically show me where it exists north of first landing park in VA beach, then that is where i believe it to have found its northern terminus.

Richmond may have mild winters, but virgnia beaches winters are another 4-7 degrees warmer than those of Richmond thanks to the bay and ocean.

interesting. I have Spanish Moss in the oak outside that occasionally migrates over to the small palm tree or big clumps of it will hit the ground... I just pick it up and throw it back in the ree. neat that so many people like the stuff - it ievokes wonderful childhood memories for me!

When we were in Lancaster, South Carolina (just southeast of Charlotte), I seen several trees that were heavily draped in Spanish Moss. I remember telling my dad I was suprised to see it that far north. Also at this point though we were seeing a good deal of palm trees.

I live in Bristol, TN and have Spanish Moss growing in some of my trees that came from Florida. I have some of it in my Willow Oak, Bald Cypress and some on a Leyland Cypress and a little on a Southern Red Oak. I will probably have to bring it in this winter, as we can sometimes have "record lows" below 10°- which would be 15° below average for us, even in the coldest part of winter.

I even have Live Oaks growing here, which have done very well, but they are not large enough for me to drape the Spanish Moss in them yet.

Very cool thread! I know this thread is OLD now, but Im just curious if anyone here who tried to grow it in areas outside of its native range, succeeded in doing so? I love the stuff, and have grown it here in NoVA along the potomac, but alot of it did get pilfered by birds. Its been a couple years now, and the last I saw of it there was still some at that place ( I dont live there anymore) but it didnt look terribly healthy.

Anyway, hopefully some who were updating thier "experiements" with it will update us all again.

FYI, Im from MD just outside of DC and have traveled extensively in DE/MD/VA, and I do not recall ever seeing any stands of it, except for extreme SE, VA. I believe its possible it could grow along some of the big lazy coastal rivers on the eastern shore of MD/southern DE, but perhaps the frigid cold snaps of the early to mid 80s really did whatever was left there, in.

Anyway, great thread!!!

I live in Columbus,MS and I have for the last 4 years had some SM in my back yard in our Oak tree. It seems to be doing very well and has spread through out the tree. Even with cool temps in the winter it still seems to do good here and I dont live near water.

Born and raised in southside Virginia but moved to Mobile in 1976 for work. Love it here but still miss Virginia. I return each summer to visit family. I have always been interested in southern plants native to Virginia and in particularly spanish moss. When I come up for a visit I always try to find spanish moss growing naturally in the state. The 'Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora' list moss as native to the following places in the state: Va. Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cheasapeake, Isle of Wight Co., York Co., Northampton Co., and Southampton Co. Supposedly there are natural populations of spanish moss in those places. Except for Va. Beach, Norfolk, and Lake Drummond in the Dismal Swamp, can anyone tell me where I can see natural populations in these other places. Simple directions would be helpful as I am good at finding locations. Thanks

Gasp, but if you do need to kill or "thin out" spanish moss, spray it with any fertilizer that has COPPER in it. It leads to death in all bromeliads (of which SM botanically is).

Also, could y'all venture to the FLorida Gardening forum and help put this one nut in her place insisting that SM is a fungus and it's the reason live oaks in the lower portion of hte peninsula are dying (and not the droughts)?!!?

Well, I don't know how it got there, but I'm delighted to report that there is some spanish moss hanging in the four or five live oaks they have at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. There's not that much of it there, but there is some in each tree. The live oaks themselves are only about 10-20 feet tall, and are actually planted quite close to each other, which might be a problem as they get older, since it's such a wide tree when mature.

I'm guessing that someone has purposefully put the moss there, but not sure if it's the arboretum staff or perhaps some enterprising spanish moss lover that transported some up from the south!

my horse LOVED to eat moss, it was a treat to him!!

I reside in Va. Beach, yes, near bodies of water (First Landing SP, NW River Park, Back Bay, etc.) the moss can be seen on trees in the area, though don't get very far from water before it's gone (the live oaks and magnolia's still thrive a good distance from the coast. Dismal swamp in Suffolk and Chesapeake has lot's of trees that it hangs from as well. Moved bakd to SE Va. in 2010 from SW Fl (Lee county), now that's real SM territory, the stuff is everywhere, your front porch if you're not carefull!

growing in chesterfeild county about 30 min south of richmond

I live in Austin, TX, and we appear to be near the western edge of where SM grows naturally. We have plenty of ball moss, but SM is very rare. However, there are a few big oaks on the western approach to downtown that are pretty full of it, and given its appearance and location (between busy intersecting freeways), I think it grew naturally and wasn't transplanted by anyone. Once in a blue moon, I'll spot some while driving in the Hill Country, but it's never lush and could well have been transplanted.

I'm curious if anyone here knows how far west into Texas it's found, e.g. has anyone ever seen it in creeks or rivers far inland?

Also curious if anyone has seen it in Arkansas. Years ago I remember seeing a tourism commercial for Arkansas with a swamp shot of cypresses full of the stuff, but have traveled much of southern Arkansas and never seen any.

I live in coastal Delaware. One of my neighbors discovered a few small strands of Spanish Moss growing in his crape myrtle tree this past summer. I assured him it was native to our area, but not very visible in nature as it grows more singularly rather than big mossy clumps.

As far as Delaware's geographic classification, its definitely not Yankee, especially not in southern part of the state. Nascar, rebel flags, Wednesday night bible revivals, red necks, cypress swamps, grits, collard greens, and black eyed peas on New Years Day. A Border State in the Civil War, Mid Atlantic, North End of the South East, but NOT Yankee.

Question. How do you know if Spanish moss is alive or dead? The moss in the trees looks the same as the moss that fell to the ground which looks the same as the moss bought in bags at the store.

I live in and around Nashville Tennessee being originally from ny state I never got a chance to start tropical plays and southern native plants till I moved here I learned a lot of stuff even about spanish moss it transplants very easy and as said the moss that falls on the grounds is usual dry and unhealthy I seem to save some of the Fallen moss by soaking it in water overnight and hanging it the next day and or different locations it may survive it may die 50 50 chance if it is ded it will be very dry and crack very easy I even had it grow in my flower beds under my tree ? That I have not figured out yet I guess because I water it frequently and care for it like my flowers I also sprinkle bone marrow on it when I transplant it at first can be picked up any home garden store provides great nutrition for the spanish moss here Tennessee dose get very humid and has a bad cold winter at times but has not killed it yet knock on wood

I know mine won't be able to stay outside this winter, but I had it in my greenhouse last winter and it did ok and grew just a little. then I put it out in this tulip tree. I'm going to gather it in again in the fall.

Spanish moss will grow well up to 100 miles outside its native range. Perhaps much further if it gets plenty of humidity and the temps don't drop below 5 degrees. It does best in filtered sun but will survive in full sun or deep shad. When transplanted outside its native range it does much better on a river bank or next to a lake on lower branches..birds will steal alto of it for nesting materials. But if their nest is in a favorable spot it will often continue growing after the nest falls apart. It will do very well along and east of a line from Washington dc. To Richmond to Raleigh and charlotte.

Low humidity is mosses worst enemy. As for cold tolerance 5 degrees above zero is generally its tolerance limit..but with low humidity is is much more sensitive to cold and may die at 15 degrees..however I have seen it survive 5 below with humid conditions..ice will not harm it.. Nor will snow actually a covering of ice protects it from cold and provides needed moisture

Also when attempting to grow it outside its natural range the type of trees you put it on makes a big difference. Use any type of oak. Sweet gums and maples are ok. Avoid hanging it on northern pine species. Never on cedar trees or spruces also avoid tulip poplars.

WOW! Great to see that the SM topic has been re-newed! I just brought some back from Wilmington, NC. returning from a vacation to Shell Island Resort. I remember seeing some as we drove thru Wilmington to get to SI and I wanted to collect some on the way home. I nearly jumped out of the car at a stop light to pull some off trees!

MY husband I spotted some in Wilmington as we drove past it, closer to the waters, made an immediate left turn (love NC left turn laws) and he went and grabbed 3 handfuls for me from a large pine tree that was in a construction area. I just finished sorting it today, separating the strands. This is the link I've been using today for my information as this is all new to me. http://jamesmissier.blogspot.com/2013/01/tips-to-grow-spanish-moss.html We moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Matthews, NC about 8 yrs ago. And I do miss the snow!

Back to the SM. I sorted the strands and will tie the shorter ones to make a longer string. My question deals with the birds taking it away for nesting. Since I do provide plenty of nesting materials in the yard, dog hair/fur, dryer lint that I'm sure doesn't have any long hair mixed in, yet they find the lint that makes it out of the exhaust and on the ground. I usually place that in a netted bag, such as an onion bag and hang it where it will stay dry.

So, if all that doesn't work, do you think that if I drape bird netting over the branches with the SM, that may discourage their thievery? I'm not trying to be cruel and the netting has openings 3/4" by 1/2", so they just may have struggle trying to get some. The netting is black and I hope that won't 'burn' the moss. I do plan to keep it shaded, we will need to make a small pond for humidity and buy a tree for it to grow on. We have large S. Red Oaks, White Oaks, Hickories, a Wild Cherry, Black oak and several Willow Oaks. We had 24 large Sweet Gum trees removed,due to the hazard of falling/tripping on them as we have hills around our home. I love the colors, yet those 'fruits' weren't nice to us and they got caught in our dogs paws, in between the toes.

Oh well, I don't think the netting will harm the SM and I will be using rain water to water them as the link suggested. Looks like we'll be putting in a few rain barrels too! :) My husband will be home soon and boy will he be surprised at all that we need to keep our SM alive! ;) This is too much fun! I'll let you all know, how we survive this fall and the coming 'winter'. (Or what they call 'winter' here in NC.) Ha! Ha!

Sweet gum balls hurt bare feet ha. The netting will not harm the moss but I don't think it will do much to stop the birds.. They won't mess with it until spring nesting season anyway. March April and may are the months for birds to steal youre moss. Also don't shade it too much..some sun is good actually it often grows in almost full sun in its natural range..all of the oak trees are good especially the southern red oak and willow oak..hickory trees are very good as well...and it does snow almost every year around charlotte..usually 1 to 3 snowfalls of 2 to 4 inches..although rarely we get upwards of 8 inches..this winter if the temp goes below 10 degrees drench the moss with water and allow it to be encased in ice this will prevent cold injury you can also grow several types of hardy palms in Matthews if youre interested let me know good luck

Also another tip..next time you travel into its native range bring back as much as possible. And hang it thick on the branches moss holds humidity when it grows thick and you can let the birds take thier share and still have plenty ha ha. Also you don't have to go all the way to Wilmington to find it...it can be found about 90 miles east of charlotte in Scotland county nc..right on why 74 near laurinburg...park on the side of the road and load up!!!

Thanks Williams! Growing up in Cincinnati, I remember the Big snowfall of '77. I was a freshman in college in Ky. and there was an 8 foot drift in front of the dorm. The guys had to make a tunnel for us to get out and in. It was fun! Unfortunately, a slight amount of snow in Charlotte (a city without any snow plows/equipment) shuts down the city. I won't say no one here knows how to drive in snow, yet I see a lot that don't. And when it hits 40 degrees, they bundle up like it's winter. Winter for me is - 20's + wind chill...and sitting on the aluminum "milk box" and waiting for the bus. (Now my age is showing, yet I remember those were good times.)

I am hoping that the mesh would discourage the birds, at least until I have a decent amount of SM. We used the mesh last year to discourage the deer from eating the recently planted native ferns. It worked this year, yet the cinnamon fern they ate prior to placing the mesh hasn't returned...maybe next year. Our neighborhood borders a park and it's not unusual to see over a dozen in the road early in the morning. Our first summer here, a fawn walked by my husband as he mowed the lawn. I love them, yet I also would love my ferns to spread a bit, then remove the mesh.

We drove through Laurinburg going and coming this past week! Where is the moss located? We don't remember seeing any, yet we weren't looking for it at the time. I never thought it would be this far inland.

Would it be better to bring the SP in the house (in a terrarium to increase humidity), or at least in the screened back porch and protect it from wind damage? I understand about the ice protecting crops, etc. from freezing, I may try 2 or 3 different methods to see which fares the best. I read different thoughts about leaving the SP out below in freezing weather, and as we're in zone 7a now, I do love the fact that my violas usually survive the winters, or at least drop seed and that sprouts in early spring. A lot more plants here stay in bloom during the winter!!!

And I wouldn't want to move back to Cincinnati, Charlotte has a ton more trees! That's the first thing I mentioned as we drove into the city! From encroaching crowds in Mason/West Chester area in Ohio, farmland in Ky, to trees in Charlotte!!!

Thanks again!

No bringing it inside or on a porch is not advisable..it rarely gets cold enough in charlotte to damage moss we are less than 100 miles out of its natural range.and you are on the warm side of town. As I said in earlier posts low humidity is its worst enemy...the moss near laurinburg is on the north side of 74. Just east of the by pass in a stand of cypress trees. You can find it growing in many places from laurinburg east along river banks especially. Check along the lumber river in the next county robeson it is thick along the river. Charlotte is just a little too dry for it. If we had higher humidity we would probably be on the edge of its natural range.. Just keep it wet the cold is not near as big a concern as dry air

By the way most hardiness zone maps put charlotte in solid zone 7b zone 8 begins just south east of town. The last 2 winters were unusually cold..in a normal winter we normally don't go under 10 degrees and 10 to 15 only a very few nights in mid winter. You can grow many plants and trees associated with the deep south in charlotte. Anything that grows in Wilmington will survive in charlotte pretty much

Any thing that grows unprotected in Wilmington that is.

Gotcha! Thanks again! (Wondering if Google "street-side" would show any. ;) 'Course, it depends on when the Google van came around. We saw it come in our neighborhood, it's green with a mounted camera on top, can't miss it!)

Im a horticulturist i live in florida now where I own a large nursery but I was born and raised near mint hill. I used to have trees dropped in Spanish moss and I grew several types of palms up there with much success. Its more fun up there because its a challenge and a novelty...Im growing plants here that are true tropicals and are a challenge even here because we do get an occasional light freeze/frost

I've always enjoyed experimenting with plants that are normally not seen growing in the area where I grow them..it can be a very interesting hobby

cathryn54, you may want to pull a few strands or better, clip the twigs where the SM is growing and move them to stand in a bin of wet soil with rocks/gravel on top and store it in your garage in a bright location.

If we get these polar intrusions of the jet stream as in the last two winters it will be worth having fresh, living SM under protection. Keep a mister of rainwater and just spray the rocks rather than the plant itself.

Thanks for the great suggestion dottie! With the amount of rain we've been having lately, there is no shortage. I collect it in plastic milk cartons (gallon size) for specific indoor plants that are more sensitive, such as my various 'ground' mosses (cap moss, rock moss, etc.) I am trying to grow 'regular' moss as much as I can in the yard. I'm even pulling the grass out of my larger moss patches. I'll never be able to fully convert our lawn completely over to moss, as we have too much sun. Yet, where it wants to grow, it's encouraged!

Moss is a natural "Lightning bug Nursery" and there aren't as many as I remembered when I was younger. They are so sensitive to pollution and we may eventually loose them. I feel for those who never saw lightning bugs! It's not summer without them! When kids collect them and put them in jars, then tell their mom to "poke holes in the lid so they can breathe," that's what KILLS them! They need a humid environment, so add wet grass and keep the lid on tight, then release them in the morning! ....and I ran off on a tangent....again ;)

Lightning bugs are still very common outside urban areas I didn't know they were sensitive to pollution..that explains it!! They used to be common in urban areas but now you have to get way out of town to see alot of them ...makes sense

They are also killed by lawn chemicals, so common in urban/suburban locations.

Mine grows fine in zone 5 Indiana all summer. I bring it into the greenhouse with all my other tropicals for the winter and also it grows just fine in a tulip poplar.

So on a loooong drive back to CT from FL I convinced my wife to take the eastern shore route so we could look for the northernmost known native stand of Spanish moss, and we found it! I had seen this story: http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_4e584659-2f01-5b80-b6d2-dff5092305e1.html as well as certain other sources citing spanish moss to be found in the woods near Eastville, VA., in Northampton County on the eastern shore. I won't say exactly where it is, but it's definitely there on a few trees near a side road.

I am inclined to agree with williams382238 that SM could possibly do well in large areas of southeastern VA nearly up to DC. But it would be extremely microclimate dependent. There are some cypress swamps in VA and southern MD that could support it, such as Battle Creek swamp in Calvert County MD.

How far west of NC can spanish moss grow?

As long as the conditions are correct, Tillandsia usneoides will grow practically anywhere. There's a great collection in the Greenhouse on the UNCC campus. The UNCC Greenhouse and Botanical Gardens website is https://gardens.uncc.edu/visiting-the-gardens/  Admission is free and donations are welcome. (The Greenhouse is also home to a rare Titan Arum.)

I've collected Tillandsia usneoides in Dillon Country, SC and some at Wilmington, NC. One collection I gathered even had a species of Pelegrina which I was excited to find! There are lots of articles about the care of Spanish Moss online and I asked one of the Greenhouse horticulturists about collecting rainwater to water the Spanish moss, yet I was told that they used regular city/tap water and the plants did just fine! Naturally the humidity is very high which is a key to their success. Good luck!

Steven,

It grows fairly far west in the continental US. I've seen it in New Braunfels, Texas along the Comal River, which surprised me, as that's approaching the drier more "desert southwest" parts of TX. https://goo.gl/maps/vFh1Sf6awmn

If you meant, how far west "in" NC does it grow, I know it occurs just west of Pembroke, NC along the banks of the Lumber River. You can see it here: https://goo.gl/maps/kiDrXMSG6i12  Actually the furthest north I've seen spanish moss visible from I-95 is just south of exit 19 (NC), on the west side of the highway.

Incidentally, the furthest north I've seen palm trees visible from I-95 is also exit 19 in Lumberton, as some are planted just east of the highway at a Rodeway Inn.