Early morning sunlight shining through dried Resurrection Fern and a few fallen leaves on a Live Oak branch.
Common all around the low country, this fern will go from brown to green in a matter of hours after a good rain.
This remarkable plant can lose about 75 percent of its water content during a typical dry period and possibly up to 97 percent in an extreme drought. During this time, it shrivels up to a grayish brown clump of leaves. When it is exposed to water again, it will “come back to life” and look green and healthy.
The resurrection fern is a type of epiphytic fern, which means it grows on top of other plants or structures and reproduces by spores, not seeds.
— National Wildlife Federation nwf.org/
Very cool 👏👏👏👏
Thanks!
Fabulous fern Ellen! ~dramatic recovery after rain..great info thanks xx
It is dramatic…it would be fun to do a time lapse video 🤔
Great picture Ellen of an amazing plant.
Thanks, Hans, glad that you liked it!
These are wonderful shots, Ellen! Beautiful light and composition.
Thank you, Peter, glad that you enjoyed them!
This is a really fantastic photo, and super info, Ellen! I remember the first time a naturalist explained to me about the Resurrection Fern, and she demonstrated using a spray bottle of water. I have always found this a fascinating phenomenon of nature.
Thanks, Carol! Oh how cool to see that. I’ve also ways thought a time-lapse video would be cool but didn’t think of creating the action with spray. It is amazing, and pretty in all of its stages.
Cool shots and information!
Thanks, Donna