Ferns{
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SENSITIVE
Once - cut
CINNAMON
Twice - cut
HAY - SCENTED
Thrice - cut
Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven
Focus on Nature
FERNS
By Elizabeth Honnett
Is there anyone who • has not
wandered in some meadow or
wood and seen a cluster of ferns?
Or anyone who has not seen ferns
give a delicate quality to a flor-
ist's bouquet or corsage?
Have you ever wondered what
these lacy plants are, or whether
many varieties existed, or if they
could be picked, or transplanted,
or mounted, or home grown?
It is with these questions in
mind that today's column has
been prepared.
The ferns common to Long
Island are easily identified. The
ferns, as a whole, are an ex-
cellent group to study. There are
only about one hundred species
native to the Northeast; they are
easily identified with the aid of
a good field guide.
Unlike birds, ferns remain
where we find them. They can be
picked and taken home for closer
study. They can be preserved in
a simple plant press. They press
well, and mounted on white con-
struction paper and framed pre-
sent pleasing decorations. Many
ferns adapt will to terrariums
and pots; many also can be
transplanted to the garden..
Ferns are f o u n d abundantly
along streams, in woods, along
the highway, in sunny open mea-
dows, in Iow swamps, in dimly lit
moist crevices, or growing be-
tween rocks or on cliffs.
Growing commonly in one or
more of these places are -t h e
Cinnamon, Marsh, and Sensitive
Ferns, and Bracken. Less fre-
quent, but still not rare, are the
Interrupted and Christmas Ferns.
Rarer, are the Spleenworts, and
the medium -sized delicate ferns
such as the Lady, New Y o r k,
Spinulose Woodfern, and Massa-
chusetts Ferns.
One of the things that rnakes
ferns a challenging study is the
ease with which one fern can be
mistaken for another. The Oak
and Bracken look very much
alike. Also the Wood Ferns, Lady
i Ferns, New York, and Massachu-
setts can be confusing to t h e
amateur, because of their ap-
parent likenesses.
However, after a short view of
the field guide the differences are
easily distinguished. Another thing
that makes the study of f erns
enjoyable is the possibility of dis-
covering a rarer species.
Ostrich, Male, Maidenhair, Hay -
scented and Beech ferns are rare
on Long Island. Also scarce on
the Island are the Woodsia and
Cliff Ferns, but the possibility
of finding one of these rarer ferns
should keep the observer on the
look -out. They can be found!
Let us proceed to the structure
and general appearance of ferns.
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Cutchogue
The ferns belong to a large ordernearly as possible resemble the
place from where the ferns are
taken.
An excellent source for the
transplanting of ferns is an es-
say, "Ferns in the Flower Gar-
den" by Lincoln Foster. This es-
say can be found in A Field
Guide to the Ferns, The Peterson
Field Guide Series, by Boughton
Cobb, Houghton Mufflin Company,
Boston, 1956. The cost is $3.95.
The same field guide will prove
an excellent source in identifica-
tion of the ferns.
The ferns are an excellent
group if you desire to master one
of the fields of natural history.
There are many varieties, but
they are easily identified. They
can be collected, dried in a plant
press, mounted and framed, pro-
viding a unique decoration.
Finally, thy can be transplant-
ed, offering a picturesque garden.
Their fresh greeness and their
lovely form make a delightful ad-
dition to Nature's world.
of flowerless, seedless plants being
differentiated into root, stem, and
leaves (fronds). They reproduce
by means of asexual spores, fruit-
ing on the back of the fronds.
Interestingly enough, they are
among the most primitive of all
plants — the majority of them
appeared 1Q6 million years ago,
and formed their basic structure
during the great coal age.
There are three basic structural
differences that distinguish each
group of ferns from the others
in appearance. This difference
exists in the Ieaves, or fronds, of
the ferns.
The next time you see some
ferns in the woods, and they
seem to be different from one
another, look closely and you will
see that some will appear filmy
or lacy, while others seem to be
quite coarse. Actually what cau-
ses these variations in appear-
ance is the structure of the
fronds.
There are three catagories of
ferns according to the "cut" of
the frond. Those ferns where the
frond is composed of a stem with
numbers of smooth -edged 'leaflets
is a once -cut fern, The twice -cut
ferns are those where the frond
is not only cut into leaflets but
where the leaflets are cut again
into subleaflets. The thrice -cut or
lacy ferns are those where the
leaf is cut into leaflets, the leaf-
lets into subleaflets, and the sub -
leaflets cut into lobes.
A "cut" occurs only when the
leaflet is cut to the stem, forming
a distinct leaflet. Hence the Sensi-
tive Fern is a once -cut fern, but
the Lady ferns are twice -cut.
From this point, with the aid of
the fern field guide, the species
can be identified.
Ferns can be collected and
pressed in a simply -made plant
press. Several things to remember
when collecting are choose good
specimens, make notes on the
type of surrounding area, a n d
pick them at the very bottom of
the stem.
Ferns when pressed, dry al-
most true to color and form.
They can be mounted on paper
with one of the "milky" glues,
taking care not to break the now-
brittle leaflets. This aspect of
fern collecting is a rewarding
one.
In texture, color, and shape
ferns proclaim themselves as the
perfection of green leaf forms.
For this reason many people en-
joy the presence of ferns in their
gardens. Ferns are the real es-
sence of the woods and meadows
and thus can add a great deal
to any garden,
However, the transplanting of
ferns is a tricky matter, due to
their delicacy. The soil and ec-
ology, in the garden, should as
Dennis Puleston reports:
Dickcissel - May 11 - Brookhaven
Bellport High School Group
reports May 13 at Yaphank
Rough - winged Swallow -
Black -poll
Northern Water - thrush
Louisiana Water- thrush
Black - thorated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Blue - winged Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Redstart
Scarlet Tanager
Bellport High School Group
report May 14 Wading River
Summer Tanager
Wilson's Warbler
Celandine in blossom
Bellport High School Group
report May 14 Mt Sinai
Yellow- crowned Night Heron
nesting
House Wren
Snowy Egrets
Wood Pewee
Old Squaws' in breeding plumage
Arthur Cooley
reports May 14
Philadelphia Vireo - Bayard Cut-
ting Arboretum
Yellow- breasted Chat - East
Patchogue
L R Ernest
reports:
Oyster Catcher - May 14 - East
of Shinnecock Inlet
Red -tailed Hawk - May 15 -
Noyac
Walter Terry
of Patchogue:
Banded a Blue Grosbeak May 13
Paul Stoutenburgh
reports:
Orchard Oriole - May le •
Cutchogue