Happy Halloween!

Ghost Ferns are out there waiting for you!

There are a few different ferns that tend to hold their form as they lose their color and fade away. Broad Beech Fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera), pictured here, is one of those I call "ghost ferns" for their white color in late Fall.

You can still identify it as a Broad Beech Fern (not Narrow Beech) by the broad shape, the bottom two pinnae being the longest, and the winged stem, especially just above the bottom two pinnae. It seems the Narrow Beech fern has already faded most everywhere now. Broad Beech ferns are not that common, but when you find them there may be a nice patch of them. They like moist woods, with soils more neutral than our typical acidic soils.

We wish you all a Happy Halloween, and look forward to seeing you on our hike the day after Thanksgiving. I will post the notice soon. It will be Friday November 24th from 1-3PM. We will be meeting at the Mt Toby parking lot off Reservation Rd in Sunderland.

Posted: to PV Fern News on Tue, Oct 31, 2023
Updated: Tue, Oct 31, 2023