Just happened across this while checking to see if anything I planted is sprouting. It wasn't something I planted-- I'm only just being made aware of this species right now. It's in a very unfortunate spot-- a ditch near a railway line in open sun. I guess it grew in under some Black Raspberries (They haven't woken up from hibernation yet)
I can't tell if it's ok for it to be here & if it's not, I don't know if I should move it somewhere safer, try to harvest fronds of it to transplant & sacrifice the rest, or just leave it alone. Apparently, unlike other fern species, they spore in summer. The leaves do show signs of spores, given the pictures I've seen, but they don't look mature yet. This plant is endangered in some parts of North America, but apparently not where I live
Here's some pics. I don't know if you can make them out, but the black spots in pic 2 are the spores:
Your plant does look sick. Since we recently had very cold weather maybe that is the problem and it might recover.
From what I understand those spores are not harmful to the plant.
Fern Spores are the basis for new plants.
Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Those are last year's leaves that somehow made it through the winter, which is why they do not look so good now. The plant should start putting up new fiddleheads in a few weeks, depending on local conditions. Check back in and see how it is doing.
Weeds are just plants with enough surplus will to live to withstand normal levels of gardening!--Alexandra Petri
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