#Coville's lip fern

[stesierra]

I had a bunch of meltdowns yesterday so my husband took me to see the ferns of the Sonoran desert. Here they are. You probably didn't know that the desert has ferns but it definitely does! They're super cool and adapted to high heat and little water. There are many species but we only found three right now. They like rocky outcroppings underneath trees and they frequently grow near seasonal creeks. Nobody grows these guys unfortunately. They're much more interesting than the ferns for sale in most nurseries, I think.

Here's the first fern. Pellaea truncata. Spiny Cliff Brake. It has a very unique look. Notice the bluish leaves that help handle excess light. There was a lot of this guy!

This fern was growing right next to the first! It's Myriopteris fendleri, we think, but we're not a hundred percent sure. Fendler's Lip Fern. These guys are a more traditional looking fern, but very small. Here's a pen for scale.

This one I found all by myself! A big milestone for a new fernhead! This is Myriopteris covillei. Coville's Lip Fern. Look at the back of the leaves! I think they recently made spores!

Anyway, I will keep you posted on my fern adventures. Sadly desert ferns are not much studied or cultivated by the native plant people. Not one of these are at any of the local botanical gardens. It's very sad.