True story....
While I was in college, I worked as a guide on a quail preserve in South Georgia. I was frequently asked "What is that curly grey stuff hanging from those trees?"
"Spanish moss" of course, was my reply.
"Whats it good for?" my yankee hunters would inevitably ask next.
"Nothing really", I would reply. "but if you rub it on your skin, it will keep the bugs away" I would add.
I may be personally responsible for the introduction of red bugs north of the Mason Dixon line......