In the North, May is Greening Month and June is Growing Month, and looking back over the past 60 days, we can see that both months lived up to their names.
Both days were not too hot (or too cold), and there was enough rain that the trees sprouted leaves, and by the end of May the open forest was covered in green leaves that not only provided the nutrients the trees needed, but also shaded the areas underneath.
The wildflowers that flourished in the sunlit woods in early spring were then shaded and withered as quickly as they appeared. However, we hardly noticed their disappearance, as other wildflowers that could tolerate the shade took their place. Baneberry, starflower, clinton, wild lily of the valley, sarsaparilla, jack-in-the-pulpit, bunchberry, waterleaf, yellow lady slipper, and other plants thrived here.
Walking through the woods in June is enjoyable, even if you have to deal with a lot of mosquitoes. June has been warmer than May, and there's been some rain. Combined, the forest is lush and green. But the shade-loving spring wildflowers have died, and now is the time for ferns to take over the forest floor. Summer's shady forests are the place and time for ferns to flourish.
Ferns are not flowering plants; what we see as feathery growths are actually leaves (thallus) that protrude from the ground from horizontal underground stems (rhizomes). (The group ferns belong to is called pterophytes, which basically means “winged plants.”)
When there are no flowers, the leaves grow long and mainly produce reproductive organs called spores. Spores contain many tiny spores. They look like small dots and are often found on the underside of the leaves. There are exceptions, some ferns have large sporangia that contain spores. Flowers do not produce seeds or pollinate. They grow well in shade and rainy weather.
On a recent walk in the woods, I walked among fern fronds that reached 4-5 feet in height, others being much smaller, and found 10 different kinds of ferns.
The species that stood out was the most abundant and tallest: Ostrich ferns, which covered the area under the trees with five-foot leaves with a sporangium in the middle. These large, long leaves are named after the plumage of a giant bird.
Forming numerous colonies were intermittent ferns, with leaves bearing sporangia and interrupted leaflets (pinnae). Ferns were also plentiful, growing to a height of three feet.
In June, ferns grow in great numbers and cover the forest floor, with each plant reaching a height of about three feet.
Contributor / Larry Weber
In the damp areas we also found 3 foot tall cinnamon ferns, the sporangia of which are cinnamon colored.
The forest paths are filled with three-leaf bracken plants, which are hardy and seem to grow back quickly even if they are cut or knocked down.
We also found small ferns here, as well as some delicate ferns with broad leaves. In the understory were beech ferns and oak ferns, whose leaves grow outwards instead of upwards. Small, fern-like wood ferns were found along the trail. They're easy to miss, as they're only about a foot tall and stay green longer than other ferns into the fall. Beautiful spiral ferns were also seen in several places.
With no flowers to pollinate, it would be easy to ignore the ferns, but right now they are thriving in the shady woodlands, adding extra colour to the northern landscape as we welcome the new summer season.
Larry Webber
Larry Weber, a retired teacher who lives in Burnham, is the author of several books.