Christmas Fern

A tough fern often spotted on the trails up here in the mountains. Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), one of the most common ferns in eastern North America which is its native range.

These are called crosiers, or more commonly, fiddleheads. In them I see movement, dance, music. Certainly grace and beauty. I love it in the spring when they are unfurling. It’s happening right now as spring reaches into warmth.

A perennial and evergreen fern that says elegance and charm. Fronds swaying together to the melody in their hearts. But don’t all ferns express that same feeling?

Perennial and evergreen. Takes on the snow and ice of winter like a champ. Like the best of us.

And come spring again is all set for music and dance. Swaying to their own melody. The refrain in their hearts.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

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