The Ferns
Sword ferns
The Ferns
Arching, curling, swirling
Gracefully hugging the ground
Thriving in shaded canopy
Greening the forest floor
The ferns lie under the canopy of the Northwest woods, thriving in the shade and cool. Remnants of prehistoric days, the soft, feather like leaves drape toward the earth. Their new growth tendrils curl upward or outward, revealing the spore brackets of pale brown beneath. Spores are released all about on the ground, mulched by the dead leaves that have fallen. The secondary moisture that they often receive from mist and dews keeps their stems invigorated and upright. Their yellow green color provides light against the contrast of the darker, glossy salal.
Sword ferns are the most common variety of the Northwest forest. Like the salal they serve to anchor the soil around the base of the tall evergreens. They grow up the steep slopes and tuck themselves into the rich, loose humus provided by the decay of rotting leaves and needles. In the shade, they thrive. Protected from huge torrents of the storms by the larger elements of the woods, they nestle close, fitting in among the other underbrush. Exposed to excessive sunlight, they wither and dry to dust. They are definitively a part of the shadows, providing their own internal form of light.
“Give thanks for what you are now and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.” Fernanda Miramontes
www.dolphinplace.com/ferns.htm
suite101.com › Plants & Animals › Botany › Plant Species
Arching, curling, swirling
Gracefully hugging the ground
Thriving in shaded canopy
Greening the forest floor
The ferns lie under the canopy of the Northwest woods, thriving in the shade and cool. Remnants of prehistoric days, the soft, feather like leaves drape toward the earth. Their new growth tendrils curl upward or outward, revealing the spore brackets of pale brown beneath. Spores are released all about on the ground, mulched by the dead leaves that have fallen. The secondary moisture that they often receive from mist and dews keeps their stems invigorated and upright. Their yellow green color provides light against the contrast of the darker, glossy salal.
Sword ferns are the most common variety of the Northwest forest. Like the salal they serve to anchor the soil around the base of the tall evergreens. They grow up the steep slopes and tuck themselves into the rich, loose humus provided by the decay of rotting leaves and needles. In the shade, they thrive. Protected from huge torrents of the storms by the larger elements of the woods, they nestle close, fitting in among the other underbrush. Exposed to excessive sunlight, they wither and dry to dust. They are definitively a part of the shadows, providing their own internal form of light.
“Give thanks for what you are now and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.” Fernanda Miramontes
www.dolphinplace.com/ferns.htm
suite101.com › Plants & Animals › Botany › Plant Species
