As we walk around the forest trails in search of wildflowers, birds, and the occasional animal, we sometimes overlook the unsung heroes of the understory: ferns. Here in western Oregon there are plenty of forest understory trails to visit, so you are going to see ferns just about any time of year. Ferns don't have flowers or seeds, so it's easy for them to fade into the green background, going unnoticed.
Even though they may look delicate, our native ferns are quite hardy. Most are able to withstand bitter freezing temperatures as well as extended hot summer dry spells; about half are evergreen. These ferns are descendants of ancient tropical plants that thrived in the time of large reptiles.
In our area, there are half a dozen common native ferns that you can see on just about any forest trail on the west side of the Cascade mountains. Sword ferns and Maidenhair ferns are probably the most easily identifiable ones. Ferns were used for a variety of purposes by our indigenous peoples, including insulation, bedding, food, and even games for children. Here's an overview of the most common ferns in our hiking area:
- Western Sword - Polystichum munitum. Evergreen.
- Maidenhair - Adiantum aleuticum. Evergreen.
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| Maidenhair and Sword (upper right) ferns near Gales Creek |
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| Sword Ferns and Firs in Tillamook Forest in June |
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| New Sword fronds emerge in April |
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| Maidenhair Fern near Gales Creek |
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| Sword Fern at Rood Bridge Park |
- Licorice - Polypodium glycyrrhiza. Evergreen. They are commonly seen growing on trees and stumps.
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| At Rood Bridge Park in November |
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| Licorice Ferns bottom view |
- Deer - Blechnum spicant. Evergreen. Resembles the Sword fern, but narrower with darker stalk/axis.
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| Deer Ferns at Drift Creek Falls trail June |
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| Deer and Sword (top left) ferns |
- Oak - Gymnocarpium dryopteris. These are tiny ferns, up to six inches or so.
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| Oak Ferns with Oregon Oxalis |
- Bracken - Pteridium aquilinum. Seen in foreground below with Cow Parsnip.
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| Bracken Ferns in May |
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| Bracken Ferns in mid November |
- Lady - Athyrium filix-femina. Seen in lower left below, along with Maidenhair (right side) and Sword (upper left). These were at the bottom of Drift Creek Falls in the Coast Range.
And if you made it this far down the post, here's your
bonus fern!
- American Parsley - Cryptogramma acrostichoides. Although not uncommon, I have only seen this one a couple of times.
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| Parsley Fern on Saddle Mountain, 6-2014 |
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