Ostrich Fern

Common Name: Ostrich Fern

Latin name: Onoclea struthiopteris (previously known as Matteuccia struthiopteris)

Time of Year: Deciduous; dormant in Winter; emerges in Spring; turns copper or yellow in Fall

Location: Nature Trail; near picnic table

Attracts: The edible fiddlehead is the state vegetable of Vermont.

Special Notes; The Common and Latin names are based on the shape of the plant; the fronds grow very tall, forming a symmetrical, vase-like cluster resembling an arrangement of green ostrich feathers