On Sunday (must have been Sept. 23) we went for a walk sponsored by the Newton Conservators near the Charles with an expert on ferns. He showed us, and explained how to identify, twelve species of ferns which are reasonably common in the area. There are almost another dozen species found in Newton, but this was one of the best places for finding a lot of different kinds in a small area.
So we saw Sensitive Fern, Lady Fern, Royal Fern, Hay-Scented Fern, Marsh Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Interrupted Fern, Spinulose Wood Fern, New York Fern, Ostrich Fern, hm, and two others that I can’t remember at the moment. Maybe one was another kind of Wood Fern, and maybe he was counting the horsetails. That would make a dozen.
Can I recognize them now, two weeks or so later? I’ve been checking when I walk in Cutler Park, and I don’t really think I remember more than four of them. Darn.