Christmas ferns along the water cascade path at Watson Symington Preserve

Did you know that ferns are among the oldest plants on earth? Some varieties are as old as the dinosaurs and predate the rise of flowering plants. Ferns are vascular plants with tissues that conduct water and nutrients from the soil into their leaves, which are called fronds. They have neither flowers nor seeds and reproduce through spores, which are dispersed by the wind.

There are more than 12,000 species of ferns worldwide. They come in all sizes, from mere inches to tall tree ferns in Australia and New Zealand. Ferns thrive in various climates, from cold to temperate to tropical. Their ideal habitat is moist shade.

Most ferns in the Northeast are perennial. The above-ground greens die back in winter, and the roots remain dormant until spring when new fiddleheads emerge and slowly unfurl into new fronds. Ferns produce both fertile and infertile fronds. 

Ferns are often overlooked as valuable landscape plants. However, they provide many ecological benefits, such as:

• Protecting streambeds and hillsides against erosion
• Reducing contamination in the soil
• Removing airborne pollutants
• Sequestering carbon
• Enhancing wildlife habitats

Ferns provide shelter, shade, and cover to toads, efts, snakes, box turtles, ground-nesting birds, and other small creatures. Many birds weave dried ferns into their nests.

The woodland habitats of the New Canaan Land Trust and Bristow Bird Sanctuary are home to many species of native ferns. Here are some examples.

Sensitive ferns along the woodland boardwalk at Colhoun Preserve

Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) is characterized by its coarse, lobed leaves.  The fronds die back at the first frost leaving brown spore-bearing beaded stalks that stand all winter. These ferns grow up to 3 feet in moist, shaded, or partially shaded soils. There are large stands of them along the wetland boardwalk at Colhoun Preserve.

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is evergreen and grows in mounds 1-2 feet tall and wide. It is common throughout the eastern woodlands of the United States and forms a good ground cover that can tolerate dryer conditions than most other ferns. These ferns are plentiful on all of our woodland preserves. A large colony is on the hillsides along the water cascade path at Watson Symington Preserve.

Cinnamon fern with a close-up of a fertile frond

The Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum Cinnamomum) is one of the oldest living plant species, with fossil records dating back 70 million years. This fern is native to both North America and Asia. They form clonal colonies with massive root stalks in wetland habitats. They are easily identified by their cinnamon-colored fertile fronds, which rise out of the plant’s center. Several cinnamon ferns are growing in Bristow Bird Sanctuary.

New York Fern (Parathelypteris noveboracensis) is native to eastern North America and is most commonly found in the Northeast. It grows 1 to 2 feet tall in clumps that quickly colonize shaded woodlands. The fronds are delicate, appearing with smooth round edges. A large colony of these can be found at Still Pond Preserve.

Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) is native to eastern North America. It has finely textured fronds that radiate in fan shapes above dark stems.  They grow from one to two feet tall with a similar width in humus-rich well drained. While they prefer shade, they can tolerate a bit of morning sun as long as the soil is moist. These ferns are often cultivated as house plants. The specimen seen here was planted at Bristow Bird Sanctuary.