{"id":36659,"date":"2022-08-10T14:44:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T18:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=36659"},"modified":"2022-08-25T14:39:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T18:39:04","slug":"native-plant-profile-yours-frondly-ferns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2022\/08\/10\/native-plant-profile-yours-frondly-ferns\/","title":{"rendered":"Native Plant Profile: Yours Frondly, Ferns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>

Northern maidenhair fern by Sarah Witcher<\/p><\/div>\n

Who needs flowers when you have fiddleheads? Ferns not only provide foraging space for ground-feeding birds, but they create vital shelter for numerous species of Maryland wildlife. Let\u2019s explore a bit about why ferns are fascinating and look at some of the benefits of planting them in your home habitat.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, a little history! 390 million years ago, during the Devonian Period, Planet Earth was a hot and humid world where ferns had the perfect conditions to become the dominant plant species. By comparison, flowering plants have \u201conly\u201d been around for about 130 million years. Ferns evolved from a now extinct group of plants called Rhyniopsids. The plants in Rhyniopsida didn\u2019t have any leaves; instead, they photosynthesized with their stems and branches. As plants evolved, Rhynopsida gave way to ferns, which means they were some of the first plants with leaves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This brings up an interesting question: if the ferns we see in modern times have been around for almost 400 million years, why is it that hardly anything eats them? One possible explanation is that animals used to eat certain ferns, and maybe that\u2019s why those tastier ferns aren\u2019t around today. Modern ferns can be poisonous; studies have shown that some ferns contain toxins like the carcinogenic ptaquiloside, while some produce another toxic enzyme, thiaminase. These toxins likely make the ferns less tasty for snacking than most of the surrounding forest foliage, even though it isn\u2019t lethal to wildlife in small amounts. If you\u2019re a gardener, you know this means lovely, long-lasting, un-chewed foliage for a lengthy growing season, with some ferns even boasting evergreen status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the <\/span>native, deer-resistant ferns<\/span><\/a> we encourage planting are below. Consider including ferns\u2019 elegant fronds in your backyard habitat!<\/span><\/p>\n