Female plant. Sensitive fern, Onocela sensibilis. The 'beads' are specialized pinna to hold the sporangia. The plant grows in the fall, winters over, and releases the spores in the spring. The plant can be seen above a few inches of snow in the winter, knowing where to find Sensitive fern in the spring.
The last stage of female Sensitive fern, Onocela sensibilis, having released all of its spores.
#fern #ferns
Interrupted fern, Osmunda claytoniana. The woolly covering is still present from when the fiddle head emerged. The fern is about 6 inches off the ground. One can see the start of individual pinna.
Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris. The classic Eastern US fiddle head. The only edible fiddle head in Eastern US. The individual pinna and veins are visible. The basic structure is present. It just gets bigger.
Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides. This fiddle head is unfurling in a different way. The 'ball' is remaining on the ground while the stipe grows unfurling the fiddle head. The frond would seem to then 'snap' up when unfurled. Will need to observe. A second fiddle head is emerging. This is a thick blanket of previous fronds.
Fiddle heads. Macro pictures.
Interrupted fern (L), Ostrich fern (C), Christmas Fern (R)
#fern #ferns
Cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum. This is planting that has been growing for a decade or more. It is an isolated planting so the 'fairy ring' is more obvious.
Royal fern, Osmunda spectibilis. This is planting that has been growing for a decade or more. This is an isolated planting. It is an isolated planting. The fairy ring is not complete. The center plant is still present.
Interrupted fern, Osmunda claytoniana Another isolated planting. The fairy ring is even less established. The center plant is present.
Ferns, given time, seem to create 'fairy rings'. The scientific term is radial growth. It is a clonal ring, genet ring.
Cinnamon fern (L), Royal fern (C), Interrupted fern (R)
#fern #ferns
On the US side of the pond, this is an invasive, bad.🙁
Cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomeum. Thickly covered in woolly protection.
Royal fern, Osmunda spectibilis (North American species) Woolly covering has brown/beige streaks. It is a big flatter than cinnamon fern.
Interrupted fern, Osmunda claytoniana The woolly coating is thinnest in this species of the three. This is the fastest growing of the three.
More 'family' resemblence.
Cinnamon fern (L), Royal fern (C), Interrupted fern (R).
All are members of the family Osmundaceae.
Cinnamon fern has the thickest woolly coating.
Royal fern is similar to cinnamon fern, but has brown/biege streaks.
Interrupted fern is the thinnest.
#fern #ferns
Female field horsetail on left. Male field horsetail on right. Equisetum arvense. Strobolus is where the spores are grown. The grow between the joints of the hexagons. The hexagons separate and release the spores. The female plant has not chlrophyll. It last only a few weeks in the spring. The male plant is developing its whorls. They will extend 4 or so centimeters horizontally. The male plant will send nutrients to the rhizomes underground for the energy to grow the female plant in spring.
Close up of strobolus.
Close up of male plant.
More horsetail. Macro pictures.
The female plant on left, male on right.
The hexagons of the stroblus show some white emerge, where the sporangia and spores are maturing. The hexagons will separate to release the spores.
The male plant is developing its whorls.
#fern #ferns
A cluster of interrupted ferns, some just fiddle heads, others starting to show their fronds.
Cinnamon fern still taking its time to grow. Still covered with its wolly coating, protecting the fiddle head.
+16 days
#fern #ferns
Interrupted fern (R) is more aggressive at growing than the Cinnamon fern (L)
They are both about the same size when mature.
The pink buds of the Eastern Redbud, closer to opening. Buds are on the stems, not at the tips.
The pink buds of the Eastern Redbud, closer to opening. Buds are on the stems, not at the tips.
+3 days
Fern spores are high in lipids, sugars, and proteins to fuel the germination of gametophyte, the intermediate plant that later grows a mature fern.
The spores contain at outer cell walls of sporopollenin, a very tough membrane that is almost indigestible.
A few insects can digest this cell wall.
Your plant is fine specimen.
It is an asparagus fern, not maidenhair fern.
Asparagus fern is not a fern. It a member of the asparagus family.
Asparagus fern is frequently mistaken for a fern.
It looks like Plumosa Fern, Plumosa Fern (Asparagus setaceus)
savvygardening.com/plumosa-fern/
WANTED: Lead Collections Manager. Smithsonian NMNH Botany is looking for a Supervisory Museum Specialist to manage the United States National Herbarium and a top-notch collections team. For more information, visit USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov/job/864499200). Applications due in two weeks (1 May 2026).
I do like the Latin name for Eastern poison ivy.
Toxicodendron radicans
You almost feel the itch in the name.
Several red (marron) colored flower of red trillium. Several plants clustered together. On a steep bank next to a man-made water feature
Red Trillium, Trillium erectum
Sharon Audubon, Sharon, CT, USA
On a steep bank, unable to take a front view picture.
#flower #nature
Rings and rings of neatly spaced holes up and down the bark of the tree. The woodpecker makes small holes to get the tree sap and not insects as do other woodpeckers.
Rings and rings of neatly spaced holes up and down the bark of the tree. The woodpecker makes small holes to get the tree sap and not insects as do other woodpeckers.
A tree thoroughly pecked by a yellow bellied sap sucker woodpecker, Sphyrapicus varius
Sharon Audubon, Sharon, CT, USA
Not sure of the species of tree.
(almost the same picture)
#tree #bird #nature
From Tori Bonidie and Skylar Grayson: The president’s budget requests for NASA and the NSF were released last week. We summarizes the major cuts and their impacts while providing resources to help fight back against this attack on science. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪
astrobites.org/2026/04/16/budget-request-fy2027/
“NSF Plant Biology Act.”
H.R. 7949
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
This bill would expand NSF funding for plant and microbial biology grants with $150 million authorized each year from FY2026 through 2031.
Reach out to your representatives.
www.house.gov/representati...
Unfortunately horsetail is difficult to remove
Rhizomes go deep.
The tall pale brown plants are the female plants of horsetail, Equisetum sp.
The spike on the top is called a strobolus, plural stroboli.
The strobolus holds the spores. The strobolus splits apart to release spores when mature.
The small bushy plant, lower center edge, is the male plant.
Flower buds of Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis. The flowers appear on the stem, not at the tips. The flowers are pink and clustered.
The flower buds of Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis
(domestic)
#flower #tree #nature
Female field horsetail, Equisetum arvense. The stalk is segmented. There is no chlorophyll. The top segment is bent, not natural. The spores are about to be released from the strobolus, the top structure. The gaps in the hexagonal shapes in the strobulus are exposing the spores.
Female field horsetail, Equisetum arvense. The stalk is segmented. There is no chlorophyll. The stroboli is not yet mature. The plant has more to grow. The small green spike is the male field horsetail sprouting.
Female field horsetail, Equisetum arvense. The stalk is segmented. There is no chlorophyll. The stroboli is not yet mature. The hexagons are tight. The plant needs grow a bit taller first. The green spike is the male field horsetail sprouting.
True sign of spring, female field horsetail, Equisetum arvense.
The plant has not chlorophyll. The spores are inside the stroboli at the top.
The female plants are only around for a few weeks.
The green spikes are the male field horsetail, which will grow whorls.
#fern #ferns
+12 days
#fern #ferns
Interrupted fern (R) is more aggressive at growing than the Cinnamon fern (L)
They are both about the same size when mature.
Definitely not a fern 😁
An invasive specie here in the Northeast US.
Looks like Braun's Holly Fern, Polystichum braunii
If you are around New Haven on Wed, April 22 come see my public Yale University Peabody Museum talk in O.C. Marsh Hall at 5pm!
peabody.yale.edu/news/bass_le...
Appears to be trillium just starting to unfurl leaves with flower bud Three green curled leaves. Plant is on the forest floor with the browns of leaf litter.
First sign of trillium
Trout Valley Preseve, Aspectuck Land Trust, Easton, CT, USA
#flowers
Today's invasive specie removal.
Trout Valley Nature Preserve, Aspetuck Land Trust, Easton, CT, USA
Mostly Winged Euonymus/Burning Bush/Euonymus alatus, some Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) , some multi-flora rose (Rosa multiflora).
My efforts. There were 6 or so elsewhere
#invasive
Ferns and horsetail (looks like a bottle brush).
Both reproduce via spores, but have completely different anatomy.
They share a common ancestor from 300 to 350 million year ago.
There are only 15-20 horsetail (genus Equisetum) worldwide. Divided into two categories. Whorls and spear-like.
Selaginella sp. are members of lychophytes, fern allies. Also known as spikemoss.
They are plants that reproduce via spores, thus fern allies.
The 'leaves' are called microphylls.
An interesting group of plants.
