FernSpotting
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fernspotting.bsky.social
FernSpotting
@fernspotting.bsky.social
47 followers 41 following 58 posts
Images I took of ferns and their neighbors spotted in the wild. Species, variations, no specific locations.
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fernspotting.bsky.social
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.
October 20, 2025 at 1:27 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
#fernspotted
Full-fern view and difficult to see. A very small Asplenium growing on the face of a vertical rock face.
October 10, 2025 at 4:19 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
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+).
October 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Orange mycena. Crowded house

#fungifriends
A small cluster of Orange mycena (Mycena leaiana) showing from an exposed area of a hollow, fallen long. The mushrooms are light orange.
September 30, 2025 at 2:34 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
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.
September 30, 2025 at 2:25 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Spotted cort

#fungifriends
A purple mushroom (Spotted cort, also known as Cortinarius iodes) showing through leaf litter. This is the forest floor of a rocky oak upload forest. Acorns were falling steadily, though few other sounds could be found. There was noticeably few bird or mammals in sight.
September 25, 2025 at 5:25 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Full-bodied and deeply colored Silvery glade fern

#fernspotted #piedmont
Full plant view of Silvery glade fern (Deparia acrostichoides), also known as Silvery false spleenwort and silvery spleenwort. Demonstrating deep green/green-blue coloration, fronds approximately 3 feet (0.9 meter) in length, and thin but long-reaching pinnae. This fern was spotted stream-side among many species, at the floor of an isolated, rocky valley.
September 25, 2025 at 12:12 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Lion's mane #fungifriends
Lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in rocky uplands of an oak forest. Blooming and round with white texture and an appearance that looks soft.
September 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Some mood moss for some moss mood. I look forward to sharing images from a challenging expedition yesterday; starting with this.

#iseemoss
A close view of a bed of mood moss spotted in a dry, rocky upland oak forest. It is uniformly pale green (perhaps a touch of blue-green) and looks soft and dense with bits of light filtering through the canopy above.
September 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
What is this fern? The pinnae are distinctly offset and spaced far apart. Possible Southern Lady Fern (Athyrium asplenioides)? Located in waterlogged, stream-adjacent area in central Maryland.

#fernspotted #whatisit #plantid
Green fern with long vertical stipe. The pinnae are offset and spaced far apart.
September 21, 2025 at 8:52 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
The work of the Fern Leaftier caterpillars (Herpetogramma spp.) are becoming easier to see as the densest foliage recedes with the season. This is another example of a fern ball structure made from a Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides).

#fernspotted #caterpillar
Frond view of a Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) used by the Fern Leaftier caterpillar (Herpetogramma spp.) to make a fern ball structure. The frond is pulled together in the shape of a ball using the silk of the caterpillar.
September 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
New York fern (Amauropelta noveboracensis) sticks close to the river in this area. Its abundance often causes me to overlook it. In this case, the dramatic transition to late-season color makes it hard to miss.

#fernspotted #piedmont #autumncolor
Frond-view of New York fern (Amauropelta noveboracensis) demonstrating a dramatic transition to autumn coloration. Pale green gives way to way to a bright white/yellow.
September 12, 2025 at 1:35 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) just inches from the ground, at the base of a vertical rock outcropping, in a shaded nook. Thick (and sharp) vegetation and geological features limit sunlight and access. Despite how wet it looks, it did not rain!

#fernspotted #piedmont #iseemoss
Full view of Walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) just inches from the ground, at the base of a vertical rock outcropping, in a shaded nook. The fern is surrounded by moss and seems wet because of the abundant moisture in the area. Everything pictured is green, showing no signs of seasonal change.
September 11, 2025 at 12:45 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Eastern hayscented fern (Sitobolium punctilobulum) sticks to places where the sun breaks through in this river valley. This patch shows its transition to late-season color.

#fernspotted #piedmont #autumncolor
A patch of Eastern hayscented fern (Sitobolium punctilobulum) showing late season color. Some touches of green are still visible, but are giving way to pink.
September 10, 2025 at 1:09 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) shows a change in color in late summer that highlights texture that is more-difficult to see when fronds are evenly green. The brilliant color and texture of this particular frond may not have been done justice in this photo.

#fernspotted #piedmont #autumncolor
Frond view of Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) showing late summer coloration that highlights its intricate texture. Pale green gives way to bold and brilliant browns and yellow.
September 8, 2025 at 6:46 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
1/3
Rock polypody (Polypodium virginianum) are striking when punctuating beds of moss, but seeing them en masse is also impressive.

#fernspotted #piedmont
Close view of a cluster of Rock polypody (Polypodium virginianum) showing large fronds and deep green color.
September 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) marking the streamside base of a steep incline in a rocky river valley.

#fernspotted
Full-plant view of Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) with fronds pointing upward from the forest floor.
August 12, 2025 at 9:27 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Eye-catching red stipes of a stand of Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina).

#fernspotted
Partial colony view of a group of Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) showing distinctive red stipes
August 12, 2025 at 1:49 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Reposting this photo with correct identification. I enjoy this picture too much to remove.

A close look at an emerging fertile frond of an Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris).

Thank you for the correction @fernleaf07.bsky.social

#fernspotted #frond #otherworldly
A close look at an emerging fertile frond of an Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). This frond is still emerging and still very green.
August 12, 2025 at 1:39 AM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Silvery False Spleenwort (Deparia acrostichoides) showing a gradient of seasonal color.

#fernspotted #deciduous
Frond-view of Silvery False Spleenwort (Deparia acrostichoides) showing a gradient of seasonal color, with yellow pinna tips that become brown approaching the stipe. The stipe remains yellow-green.
August 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Liverwort (Marchantia) showing archegonia; organs containing the female gamete. These show during the gametophyte lifecycle stage, which is the dominant stage of life for liverwort.

Seeing liverwort up close always feels like peering into an alien world

#liverwort #gametophyte #nonvascular
Close-up image of liverwort (Marchantia) showing yellow and green archegonia, tentacle/umbrella-shaped organs containing the ovum. Archegonia stem from the flat, milky-green body (thallus) of this non-vascular plant
August 7, 2025 at 1:02 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
Eastern Hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) showing transition to late-season color as it prepares to shed its fronds.

#fernspotted #deciduous
Frond-view image of two Eastern Hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) fronds at different stages of seasonal coloration. Seen from above, the image aligns the smaller top frond and the larger bottom frond along their respective stipes. The top frond is turning yellow (from green) and is early in its seasonal transition. The bottom frond is advanced in its transition, showing olive, brown and purple coloring and the beginnings of degraded pinnae tips.
August 6, 2025 at 1:47 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
An example of cresting spotted in a Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) in which the blade of the fern splits (or forks) from the rachis, resulting in two blade tips.

#fernspotted #cresting #fasciation
Close shot of a crested Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) in which the tip of the fern blade splits (or forks) from the rachis. The divisions of the rachis have their own tips formed by pinnae that decrease in size approaching the tip as expected in most Christmas ferns.
August 5, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by FernSpotting
lizzywanders.bsky.social
🌴 tiny tropical jungle 🌴
Macro shot of a miniature palm tree forest of common liverwort. Pictured are the female plants with tall brownish green stalks and green star-like rays at the top. They’re growing from its leaf-like flattened plant body between strands of moss.
June 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
fernspotting.bsky.social
A view from below a Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum) on a cliff-face. The robust sori are easy to spot on the underside of this fertile frond.

#fernspotted #evergreen #sori #spores
A view of Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum) from below. Light filters through the pale green pinna enabling the bright orange sori beneath the fertile fronds to stand out visually.
July 31, 2025 at 10:28 AM