Spring Fern News & 1st Fern Walk of Season!

Fragile Ferns have opened into Fronds

Randy and I continue to visit the Fragile Ferns (Cystopteris fragilis) in Amherst and enjoy watching them develop into "real ferns". Now most of the fiddleheads are developing into fronds, and may be recognizable as ferns by most careful observers. The Fragile Ferns at other sites in the area are just starting to show crowns, or at the very tiny fiddlehead stage still.

I chose this photo so you have a better idea of what to look for with these small, pretty, and early ferns. Usually most of the brown dead fronds from last year remain through the winter, and you will see the new little green fiddleheads popping out from the base of the plant in the Spring. As you can see, the base of the ferns are often protected inside the gaps between the stones.

It is always a guess at when to set the date for the first PVFS Fern Walk, but we are eager to get started again! I will add some dates to our calendar soon, but the First Fiddlehead Walk will be Sunday April 30th from 1-3pm at the Mt Toby Waterfall site in Leverett. We look forward to seeing you again, and sharing the fun of a new Fern Season! More details in a little while.