Nature Photo Challenge: Ferns
Recently I was very happy to discover the Denzil Nature blog, and I am going to jump in to his weekly photo challenges.
This week the topic is Ferns.
We do have some ferns where I live in East Texas, and here are some shots I took last October, during a native plant BioBlitz.
Widespread Maidenhair Fern, seen on Harmon Creek at the Biological Research Station.
One frond of the fern.
I have learned that pictures of the underside help in identifying the fern.
We also have ferns at our family place in the Texas Hill Country. They grow in the crevasses of the limestone rocks.
A lip fern on rocky soil in June of 2021.
A close up of the fern’s surface. I believe this is either a Rough Lipfern or an Alabama Lipfern.
A fern growing on the side of a creek bed. I took this before learning that the underside helps in identification!
But when I think of ferns, I always associate them with visiting the glasshouses of botanical gardens.
In April of 2018, I got to go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, where spring was just beginning. (Here where I live in Texas, it was probably hot already.)
Missouri Botanical Gardens, April 2018.
Large waterfall with ferns.
Tiny waterfall with ferns.
Beautiful lacy fern against the glass wall.
My favorite ever visit to a botanical garden was in Amsterdam in 2010. They were having an extreme cold snap — flights were grounded, vendors were selling cheesy “AMSTERDAM” knit caps on all the street corners (and to this day, I am sorry I was too snobby to buy one), people were all talking about how cold they were. And in the midst of that, my husband and I visited the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. We were about the only ones there and we had a wonderful time. There was something so magical about being inside the Palm Greenhouse (designed in 1911) and looking out at the snow covered lawns.
Inside the Hortus Botanicus Palm House. I think there are some ferns in there somewhere. 🙂
Looking out at the snow.
A stunning golden fern.
So that is my look at ferns. For this and other fun photo themes, please visit Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge page. There is no end date on any of the challenges, so it’s not too late to join in!
Thanks for joining this challenge. You have a really interesting blog; I will catch up on some of your past posts when I have a spare few minutes.
Thank you! I think your photo challenge will really get me to post more often! 🙂
That’s good news. You have a lot of lovely photos worth sharing!
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