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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Eastern cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis spathulata) #fungifriends #piedmont

Two Eastern cauliflower mushrooms growing from the exposed root system of a fallen oak in an upland oak forest. These mushrooms look much like marine coral. They are white with the appearance of a soft, even texture, even with countless branches.

FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Appalachian Polypody or Appalachian Rock Cap Fern (Polypodium appalachianum) #fernspotted #ferns #lithophyte #piedmont #spore

Very close view of the undersides of mid-green Appalachian Polypody leaflets. Bright yellow, with puffy sponge-like texture, the proportionally large sori of this specimen are comprised of sporangia that seem to have already released many/most spores. This plant was found in a large Appalachian Polypody cluster growing on a vertical, north-facing rock surface, located meters away from a coldwater river.

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Alex Prendergast @bramblebotanist.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Nordic Moonwort Botrychium nordicum in lovely lycophyte-rich montane heath in Glen Shee. Frilly divisions, and a shorter stem than lunaria, and GB plants tend to have a lax fertile frond too.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) having shed its indusium and with sori exposed. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont #spore

A very close/macro shot of the underside of fertile frond leaflets of Christmas Fern. These backside of the leaflets recently shed the cream-colored indusium to expose the orange-yellow sori you see here. The sori are clusters of spores soon-to-be released on this fern.

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Rick M @rickmartin.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

The female fruiting bodies of common liverwort, which must have arrived on the wind to sow itself in this pot with my saracenia pitcher plant, and is living the high life in my greenhouse 🌱🪴🌿 #PlantSky #CarnivorousPlants #Bryophytes #nature #GreenSat #ColorADay #EastCoastKin #macro

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris) is found in/near the Atlantic coastal plain in N. America, but is also found in other parts of the world. This #rhizomatous grower can be delicate and hard to spot early in the season, but developed fronds are composed of thick, textured pinnae. #fernfriday #ferns

Full frond view of the light green Marsh Fern pointed upward, set apart from a background of vegetation. Zooming into this photo reveals dense leaflets textured by the fern's veins.

View of a marshy grove with abundant Marsh Fern growth interspersed with dense vegetation in full-sun.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Fully grown, Netted Chain Fern (Woodwardia areolata) is visually-distinctive in wet woodlands and swampy areas with its glossy, deeply cut fronds as large as 3ft (0.9 meters) in length. #fernspotted #ferns #rhizomatous #piedmont

Small-area view of several Netted Chain ferns and other streamside vegetation. These ferns have large, glossy, dark mid-green fronds that stand out from other vegetation in the area.

Frond view of Netted Chain Fern pointing upward and demonstrating its distinctive texture and deeply-cut (once-pinnate) structure.

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Piotr Gąsiorowski @piotrgasiorowski.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Miscellaneous Stemonitis sp. shots. Kicin, Wielkopolska (western Poland). #slimemoulds #slimemolds #śluzowce #Myxogastria #Eumyctozoa #Amoebozoa

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

These Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris) fiddleheads are arriving a bit late, joining the many fully-developed fronds in this Bald Cypress swamp. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont #fiddlehead #wetland

Close view of three partially opened Marsh Fern fiddleheads showing bright and bold mid-green color against a dense background of grasses and ferns.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Inspired by the color and texture in fungi posts this weekend, here is a different sort of #fern photo. This is a very close look at Cinnamon Fern spores collected, en masse in mid-May. #ferns #macro #pigment #greensat

A very close, granular look at a large amount of Cinnamon Fern spores. Intended to be dispersed, by design, collecting these spores in a single location reveals a deep, dark green pigment with a texture much like fine sand.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Cinnamon Fern's (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) fertile frond getting ready to release spores on June 2, 2026. This plant was the pacesetter for others in the area. Am experimenting with techniques to capture detail in the fertile fronds of #ferns in the wild. #fernspotted #piedmont #spores #macro

A very close look at the tip of Cinnamon Fern's fertile frond, with ripe sori, getting ready to shed spores. The sori clusters appears as masses of tiny spheres (like grapes) colored orange and green. Pinnae from the vegetative fronds of this plant are visible in the background.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

This Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) appears thriving on a vertical gorge wall, meters above a cold-water river. #fernspotted #ferns #lithophyte #piedmont

Full-plant view of Ebony Spleenwort extending out and up from a vertical rock wall. Its fertile fronds reach high, while the vegetative fronds stay close to its base.

Distant, full-plant view of Ebony Spleenwort living on a vertical rock wall beneath a cliff.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Silvery Glade Fern (Deparia acrostichoides) fiddlehead. Note the hairy stipes below the fiddlehead and on the adjacent fronds. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont #hair

Close view of a Silvery Glade Fern's tightly-wound fiddlehead. Light green and in the shade of fully developed fronds, this fiddlehead shows hints of the frond that will emerge. The stipe of this fiddlehead, and adjacent fronds are noticeable hairy.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) from above on a steep, rocky slope. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont

Partial plant view of Cinnamon Fern captured from up-slope on a steep incline. While parts of the fronds are outside of this shot, the remaining fiddleheads seen from above look like wheels. This is a perspective I've not considered before.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) showing lithophytic range on a gorge wall, meters above a coldwater river. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont #lithophyte

Distant, full plant view of a Marginal Wood Fern extending its fronds upward and thriving on a steep, westward-facing gorge wall.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) frond opening in a damp piedmont meadow. These vigorous growers can help hold soil together at the edge of disturbance where runoff flows down river valleys. #fernspotted #ferns #piedmont

Frond view of a Sensitive Fern in the process of opening in late May. The light green frond opens in such a way that it appears composed of fifteen fiddleheads each unraveling in a different direction.

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Dan Foy @dfoyliv.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

For #wildflowerhour, Sea Spleenwort recently found growing in sandstone cave crevices on Hilbre Island #ferns

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

When you keep climbing to find the moment. #iseemoss #piedmont

Close view of a bed of moss across which a terrestrial snail makes it way. Background is the jagged ground of a rocky upland atop a steep gorge.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginium) catching early sunlight on a cliff overlooking a piedmont gorge. #fernspotted #ferns #lithophyte #piedmont

Full view of several Rock Polypody fronds reflecting intense light from an early sun. Their bright mid-green glows, enabling clear view of robust sori remaining from last season. The structure of the rock in this gorge casts broad shadows, causing first light for this plant after 9:00am.

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Neil Forbes @treebeard793.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Borrer's Male-fern, Dryopteris borreri. Formerly a subspecies of D. affinis but now recognised as a species. Easier to ID with mature sori, but the stalked lowest basioscopic pinnule and the relatively slender rachis are both good characters. #Ferns @bsbibotany.bsky.social @fernspotting.bsky.social

Dryopteris borreri, arching fronds due to the slender rachis

Dryopteris borreri, showing the stalked lowest basioscopic pinnule, a key ID feature.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) up close in the coastal plain woodland, and as abundant as I've seen --- comparing well to Christmas Ferns in the area(!). The toothed/serrated leaflets caught my eye and were present in several others in the immediate area. #fernspotted #ferns #fernfriday

Partial frond view of Ebony Spleenwort capturing much of the upper segment of a fertile frond. Partially shaded and reaching for the sun, this particular plant was one of many in a small area with roughly toothed/serrated-looking leaflets (which is not usually the case). The leaflets show a darker green, which I've come to expect from this plant in moist, shaded woodland settings. The tip of the frond and its rachis extend just past the top of this image. Notice the green color to the upper rachis, which differs from the chareacteristic "ebony" coloration that we expect to see further down the frond/rachis.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Cutleaf Grapefern's common form (Botrychium dissectum obliquum) also spotted in the same coastal plain woodland. #fernspotted #ferns #coastalplain

Frond-view of the Cutleaf Grapefern's common, whole-leafed form. The distinct rust-green colored frond (seen from above) grows parallel to the forest floor below.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

This forest filled with grapeferns (part of the Adder's Tongue family) was also home to Southern Adder's Tongue Ferns (Ophioglossum pycnostichum). The low-light of this woodland made photographing this small fern more difficult than expected. See the intertwined fertile fronds in the foreground.

An image of a coastal plain forest floor that includes Southern Adder's Tongue Fern, Rattlesnake Fern, Christmas Fern, and lots of other vegetation atop a bed of brown leaves from the forest canopy. In the left of the foreground there are two intertwined fertile fronds of the Southern Adder's Tongue Fern.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Cutleaf Grapefern's dissected form (Botrychium dissectum dissectum) spotted in a coastal plain woodland. #fernspotted #ferns #coastalplain

A full-plant view of the Cutleaf GrapeFern dissected variant. Only its sterile/vegetative fronds are showing at this time of the year. These roughly triangular fronds are situated extending away from the plant's center, parallel to the ground. The fronds, pinnae, and leaflets are finely and deeply cut, showing a delicate, lace-like appearance that contrasts with the more-common, whole-leaf obliquum variant.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Tip of the fertile frond of a Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum). Look closely to see the many split sporangia, indicating spores were released. Last week seemed peak season for this and other grape ferns in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern U.S. #fernspotted #ferns #coastalplain #spore

A close look at the top of a Rattlesnake Fern's fertile frond. The large, cream-colored sporangia lining the pinnae are either plump and ready to burst, or show the bright white line of a split and spore-release that already took place.

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Piotr Gąsiorowski @piotrgasiorowski.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Dryopteris dilatata and D. carthusiana. Kicin, Wielkopolska (western Poland). #ferns #paprocie #Pteridophyta #pteridology

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Piotr Gąsiorowski @piotrgasiorowski.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Zooming in on Dryopteris filix-mas (male fern). Kicin, Wielkopolska (western Poland). #ferns #paprocie #Pteridophyta #pteridology

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

This is a close look at the ethereal structure of a Cinnamon Fern's (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) fertile frond. Over the next week, the steep walls of piedmont gorges and valleys will host the annual biological crescendo that is the release of innumerable spores. #ferns #fernspotted #spore #piedmont

A very close look at part of an emerging fertile frond of a Cinnamon Fern. The puffy-looking pinnae are in the process of extending away from the rachis and an unfurling their leaflets. Their color is like a peach or light-salmon color for now. The twists and turns of this remarkable, multifaceted structure are challenging to describe.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Northern Adder's Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum pusillum)-- specifically the tip of its fertile frond. #fernspotted #fernfriday #coastalplain #woodland

A close, tight view of the Northern Adder's Tongue Fern's pointed and ribbed tip of its uniformly mid-green fertile frond.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) fiddlehead catching the early sun in mid-April. #fernspotted #piedmont #woodland

Fronds of the Male Fern early in the season, at an early stage of emergence (mid-April) from the leaf-covered forest floor. Shaped like the head of a fiddle, these "fiddleheads" proceeded to unravel, revealing the the fronds that we see for the remainder of the growing season.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

For a third consecutive season, I visited this Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) living on a verticle surface of a very large rock. I look forward to seeing this year's growth and hope to check back on this occasional epiphyte later in the year. #fernspotted #epiphytic

A close view of a very small Ebony Spleenwort growing on a large rock. I assume the muddy brown-yellow-red coloration is an early-season signifier, as this fern was not this color when viewed last year.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Silvery Glade Fern (Deparia acrostichoides) early in the season. I note the many dense, alternating pinnae almost perpendicular to the rachis. The pinnules are rounded, deeply cut, and packed tight. These appear frequently near streams and swamps in my area. #fernspotted #piedmont

Silvery Glade Fern (also know as Deparia acrostichoides) seen close in a partial-frond view early in the season. In this darker, mid-green frond I note the many dense, alternating pinnae situated almost perpendicular to the rachis. The pinnules are rounded, deeply cut, and packed tight.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytoniana) having already released spores before the first week of May. Many fiddleheads of nearby Cinnamon Ferns had yet to open. Those that were open were still green with many weeks to go before spore release. #fernspotted #piedmont #spore

A close view of an Interrupted Fern frond that already released its spores. The bright, light green extended pinnae appear in-contrast to the brown-red, curled up remains of the fertile pinnae.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Bradley's Spleenwort - My first sighting of this rare fern. Pictured are two specimens growing on rocks near the edge of a cliff near the Appalachian Trail approximately at approximately 800 feet (224 meters) elevation. Photos taken in 11/2025. (1/4) #fernspotted #appalachian #epiphytic #fern

Bradley's Spleenwort (Asplenium bradleyi) pictured growing on rocks near a cliff in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in Maryland, U.S.A.. This location is exposed to high winds, but is heavily shaded by tall, monumental rock formations. A small Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum) is also pictured.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Cut-leaf grape fern starting to show its cold-weather bronze coloring. Spotted in a breath-taking serpentine barrens landscape #fernspotted #piedmont #serpentine

Full plant view of Cut-leaf grape fern (Sceptridium dissectum or Bortychium dissectum). The smaller, bronzing, triangular sterile fronds stand close to the ground and far below the spent fertile frond.

Fertile frond view of the Cut-leaf grape fern. The spores of this plant already released and this fertile frond is in recession.

Frond view of the sterile fronds of a Cut-leaf grape fern. They are in the process of turning bronze, from a dark green as the cool weather arrives.

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

Absolutely huge. This Cinnamon fern easily stood 6'5"+ (1.96m+) tall. In this case, on even ground, my (6'1" or 1.85m) camera was eye level. #fernspotted #piedmont

Partial frond view of a tall Cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) showing late-season color. At 6'1" or 1.85m, my camera was eye-level in this shot. This frond easily stood 6'5"+ (1.96m+).

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FernSpotting @fernspotting.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Broad beech fern still in its summer color. Amazing structure #fernspotted #piedmont #structure

Frond view of Broad beech fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera) showing its light green summer coloration and maintaining its structure despite the onset of autumn. All if its pinnae are winged at the rachis connection points (distinguishing it from Long beech fern). The frond is triangle shaped, with the exceptions of the bottom pinnae that angle backwards.

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