Urban Ferns

Ferns in Unexpected Places

We expect to see ferns growing naturally in the woods, fields, wetlands and even roadsides, but not usually in the built environment. But there are over a dozen of our native ferns growing along the Canalside Rail Trail in Turners Falls, including some less common ones like Maidenhair Spleenwort, Fragile Ferns and Ebony Spleenworts!

The photo here shows a patch of Narrow Beech Ferns ((Phegopteris connectilis), which we usually find growing along the bank of a small stream or babbling brook in the woods. In this case, they are growing out of the gaps & fissures of the rock face left behind when the canal and associated development were created. Very infrequently we do find Narrow Beech Ferns growing on ledges of a rock face, but this was a surprise in such an urban site. There are other surprises like this as well.

So if you don't already have something to do tomorrow morning, you might consider this relatively short fern walk in downtown Turners Falls MA. We meet at the Great Falls Discovery Center at 2 Avenue A in Turners Falls (a part of Montague) at 10 AM and it ends at 11:30AM. I am sorry this is so late, it has been a busy 2 weeks and too hot to think until today. The Discovery Center has some really nice exhibits inside, worth a look as well. Free parking along the streets, and there is also a free parking lot off Second Street.

Posted: to PV Fern News on Fri, Jul 18, 2025
Updated: Sat, Jul 26, 2025