r/ferns • u/UnambiguousRange • Dec 09 '24

Wild desert ferns Image

Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Park, Southern New Mexico, USA

Reposting because one "fern" was actually not a fern, it was some other plant.

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u/RedouteRoses Dec 09 '24

I love how silvery they are! I don’t get to see this where I live on the east coast.

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u/UnambiguousRange Dec 09 '24

This might partially be an artifact of the intense sunlight and high contrast that my phone's camera can't effective deal with. Many of the plants here have small leaves that are hairy (like these) or waxy.

2

u/RedouteRoses Dec 09 '24

Ah, good point. Though often those little hairs tend to give desert dwelling plants that silvery sheen that is hard not to see. I think they have that particular adaptation in order to prevent sunburn by deflecting/diffusing harsh sunlight?

3

u/UnambiguousRange Dec 10 '24

Here's a short article about the desert ferns adaptations: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/desert-ferns.htm

1

u/RedouteRoses Dec 10 '24

An interesting read, thanks!