Air plants are fun and easy

Photos by Julia, from Julia's air plant collection.

My boss/friend, Vicki, gave me an air plant recently, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with 
it. So I sat it on the kitchen counter, where everything goes when it is in the transition from arrival to placement.
 After a week passed, I wondered: Is this a live plant and does it require water?

The air plants on my kitchen counter.

Uh, yes, and thanks to Google and my friend, Julia, my air plant is now being watered.

Air plants are little plants that grow without soil. The proper name is Tillandsia, a genus of more than 650 species of evergreen, perennial flowering plants, native to Central and South America, the southern United States and the West Indies, according to Wikipedia.

In those climates, air plants grow outdoors, on trees. They are particularly plentiful on trees that are stressed, because it allows more sunlight on the plants. But according to most reports, the air plants don't kill trees. However, if there are too many, it can create further stress on the tree, and block light for the tree.

From Julia's air plant collection.

Air plants don't require frequent watering. They only need to be soaked for a few hours (or overnight) once a week. Allow the plant to air dry before placing it back in its container, according to Plantstr.
Air plants flower one time, and that's all. (usually between winter and spring), according to Hinterland Trading. Then, the plant will produce little leaves at the base, that grows into a second plant.

From Julia's air plant collection. Photos by Julia.