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Spanish Moss is familiar to anyone who has visited Florida. It can appear anywhere as a result of the wind dispersing its seeds as it does the seeds of dandelions. But development of the draping clusters of Spanish Moss depends on the seed landing in the right place – on a horizontal limb of a rough-barked tree near water or in a very humid environment. Most Spanish Moss plants only grow to a bit over a foot long, but as they reproduce, one plant becomes many plants linked together by their limb-like scaly-surfaced leaves.There is safety and a future for the plants in such a mass. The cluster of plants holds moisture in – allowing them to survive dry times and also facilitating pollination as insects move from a flower on one plant to a flower on another in the cluster. A mass of Spanish Moss plants appears gray during dry times as the plant shrinks, but is green in appearance as rains allow the plant to swell with water and expose bare areas between the scales.

After a while, even the most exciting relationships, jobs and environments lose their spark. But cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot says it's possible to fall back in love with life's small joys.

Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews biographies of two musicians who transcended jazz, and to whom recognition was slow in coming: James P. Johnson, born in 1894, and Alice Coltrane, born in 1937.

The Giving Challenge is underway.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with M.C. Taylor, frontman for the North Carolina-based band Hiss Golden Messenger, about the new album Quietly Blowing It.

The novelty song "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" was featured in just a few seconds of one episode of "30 Rock" more than a decade ago, yet that was just long enough for it to become a Halloween favorite.

Virtuoso guitarist Sunny War is releasing her first album for the first time. It's called Seems You Haven't Learned.

Ayesha Roscoe speaks with singer Emeli Sande about her new album, "Let's Say For Instance."

Pianist Dimitri Malignan and Soprano Lily Arbisser are sharing music of composers who died in the Holocaust.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutierrez about their band, Hermanos Gutierrez, and new album, "El Bueno Y El Malo."