Resurrection Fern is a fascinating feature on old live oak limbs. It’s brown and shriveled until it rains.
It responds immediately to the moisture, turning green and sturdy looking. It would be neat to do a time lapse photo study.
Ted, enjoying the view into the marsh.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 9, 2025
A more healthy looking grouping of Resurrection Fern was nearby the Resurrection Fern, On Brick from my previous post. It was well shaded and the detritus buildup on the branch held much more water to revive the fern than the brick.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
December 31, 2021
Resurrection Fern is the common name of the species Polypodium polypodioides, a plant that grows on the surface of other plants and trees, and is most well known on Live Oaks around the Low Country of South Carolina. It springs to life when it rains, then slowly dries up, appearing dead.
Conversation with New Zealand blogger Ms. Liz about her post of a fern at Exploringcolour.wordpress.com/ has inspired me to work on ferns today. I thought I’d start small.
These fronds are typically 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) in length (National Wildlife Federation) and this particular collection was smaller.
The images in today’s post are of the fern growing on this brick wall that encloses a cemetery plot. A one inch (2.5 cm) plus rainfall the day before had worked its magic and the fern was looking quite lively. I suspect squirrels use this wall as a lunch spot accounting for the partially chewed Magnolia seed pod.
I’m using the term Resurrection Fern loosely here, as it appears to me there are multiple variations and I know nothing about more specific identification.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC
December 31, 2021
I’ve posted about this fern a few times and it’s not uncommon for it to appear in other images along side a bird. Other Resurrection Fern Posts
A view of the fern featured in my post Resurrection Fern, Back Lit seen from the other side. The branch was conveniently parallel to the ground and just at my eye level.
Regrettably, I didn’t take an image that shows how big this branch is.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
November 17, 2021
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/
There were two Pileated Woodpeckers in a Live Oak tree above my head, picking through the Spanish Moss and Resurrection Fern. The vegetation looks lovely in the tree, but sure limits photography of birds.
I never saw what they were eating but it appeared to be berries or nuts, and no pecking was going on.
It is likely this was an adult teaching a juvenile as a few times the younger looking one was just watching then got fed.
One came out into the open just before they flew off.
July 23, 2021
An Eastern Grey Squirrel looking ready for the day, posed between some resurrection fern and Spanish Moss.
A passing photographer shared this Barred Owl’s location; I’m not sure I would have spotted it unless it moved when I was right there.
He was puffed up for the cold and wind, and appeared to be snoozing, but did rouse enough for a bit of grooming on his gigantic claw.
The resurrection fern just to the left of the owl on the Live Oak branch was looking good after the previous day’s rain around 1 1/2 inches ( 4 cm) .
On a recent grey day a few Snowy Egrets were occupying a dead tree that stands in the pond at Magnolia Cemetery. The Live Oak limb with Resurrection Fern and Spanish Moss make a classic South Carolina scene.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC 2/24/2019
