Fern Fascination

The purpose of this post is to document all the ways that I am fascinated by ferns, and in doing so provide some insight into the inner workings of my mind which will no doubt be of great historical interest to future generations.

Item 1: The way the fronds unfurl in the spring.

Item 2: They produce spores, which although is technically less advanced than producing seed, seems somehow more exotic and mysterious. It suggests that ferns were perhaps brought here by the aliens that built the pyramids and Stonehenge and are maybe part of some master plan to harvest our body parts, which is creepy but kinda cool at the same time.

Spores are formed here.

More spores.

Holy moly! All the spores!

Item 3: They often form dense stands in the forest, covering large glades, where I'm all but certain that hobbits and gnomes frolic at twilight.

Item 4: They lend a tropical Jurassic feel to the landscape, suggesting that a toucan is close by, or maybe a stegosaurus.

Item 5: The fronds have such intricate and interesting shapes.

I have not yet mastered fern identification, but I know we have several different species in our woods. I have cataloged them below, although note that some are only identified to genus level, and even at that I have likely made errors.

Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)

Cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomea)

Ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina)

Brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum)

Spleenwort (some species of Asplenium)

Grapefern (Botrychium dissectum)

Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)

So that's eight different species of ferns growing wild on our little woodlot. If Spock were here, you know what he'd say.