Someone emerged from hibernation too early! The deceptively mild weather earlier this week obviously tempted this little frond out from its winter sleep.
They don’t do so well in the snow, however- the usually shy insectivore was surprisingly eager to come inside to harass our spider population.
This weeks creature can be found in our shop!
A walk to the woods in the mud and rain might not be your idea of a perfect trip- but it’s necessary if you want to find one of these little specimens!
The fernling: a creature that loves damp weather, and only likes to stretch its roots with a walk when there’s plenty of moisture about.
This particular specimen wasn’t thrilled to be put in a jar- but due to their reclusiveness and expertise in hiding themselves away; the fernling is one of our least studied native woodland species.
So, like it or not, he’ll be spending a couple of weeks in the SFI greenhouse, before I release him back to this spot.
(This week’s creature report was written by Keeley Claremont, SFI botanist)
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