Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Is this just a common airplant?, 1 by mellielong

mellielong wrote:
Lellie,
Good find and thanks for the rescue! Tillandsias are pretty tough. You could trim the brown parts if you want; I usually just let mine do their own thing. A lot of tillandsias fall on the ground and keep growing, but I imagine there waasn't much in the road for it to attach to. Even today I was walking through a preserve and saw one that was on a twig that had fallen to the ground. I generally just tuck them into a crevice of the tree so they can keep on growing.

I'm kind of hoping what you have is a tillandsia utriculata, but it's hard to tell. They're called "Giant Airplant", and they can get big. Unfortunately, the "evil weevil" (bromeliad weevil from Mexico) seems to like them the best and has been killing them. Here's a picture of a really big one I found in a nearby park. Another possibility would be tillandsia fasciulata, but the bloom stalk doesn't look quite right to me. Hmmm...opinions anyone?