Fiddleheads 2026

Royal Fern

There are so many beautiful fiddleheads, but the Royal Fern (Osmunda spectabilis) may be the most beautiful. They have a wine colored stem which turns into a turquoise-green color as it grows taller, with small fine spring green colored fiddleheads unfurling at the top, and rusty colored wool shedding off the fiddlehead & stems. What color, all on each stem! The Latin species name spectabilis means spectacular or showy.

Royal Fern is one of our Top 10 Most Common Native Ferns in our area. They grow in wetlands and are considered an obligate wetland indicator when delineating wetlands. Their tall sterile fronds look similar to a locust tree leaf. The faded fronds can often be found through the winter. The fertile fronds are taller than the sterile ones and grow in the middle of the clump of fronds with clusters of dark brown fertile pinnae at the top, clearly visible above the rest of the fronds. It is a distinctive tall fern, even from a distance.

A reminder for those who might be interested, our next Fern Walk is this coming Sunday, May 10th from 1-3PM at Chard Pond in Sunderland. It is about a mile up Falls Rd off Rt 47, north of Sunderland Center. For the beginning of the season, we are offering a special short Introduction to Fern Identification from 12:30 to 1PM. You are invited to attend the ID intro or walk or both. Free. A lovely place whether you have visited there before or not. Beautiful ferns, wildflowers and waterfalls. A great way to celebrate Spring and Mother's Day! See calendar listing for more info.

Posted: to PV Fern News on Sun, May 3, 2026
Updated: Sun, May 3, 2026