Ferns in and around Archbold Biological Station

My most recent field trip was to go fern-hunting in central Florida. My friend and colleague Eddie Watkins from Colgate University escaped the onset of fall in the north to come visit sunny Florida for a few days. We set out to collect spores of various fern species in order grow and include them in a study we're doing on fern mating systems. We visited Archbold Biological Station, and a Florida state park called Highlands Hammock. Both were beautiful, and with a diverse set of species at each location from which we were able to collect lots of fertile spore material.

Vittaria lineata 

Tree trunk covered in mosses, fern gametophytes, and young fern sporophytes

Ceratopteris thalictroides 

Lygodium microphyllum, one of two invasive Lygodium species in the southeastern U.S.

Lygodium microphyllum

Lygodium microphyllum

Ferns at Archbold