Thanks to those who entered our ‘Find ferns and win!’ competition as part of our Science Live: The Secret World of Ferns broadcast. And, congratulations to the lucky winner!
Watch The Secret World of Ferns.
Lots of different ferns were spotted – some 44 species.
One of the interesting finds was reported by shona_t via NatureWatch – I’m not sure what it is!
The most frequently reported species were:
- hen & chickens fern, Asplenium bulbiferum
- kiokio, Blechnum novae-zelandiae
- mamaku, Cyathea medullaris
- hound’s tongue, Microsorum pustulatum
- button fern, Pellaea rotundifolia
How many of these have you seen?
Learn more about some of New Zealand’s more common ferns.
The observations contributed via the citizen-science NatureWatch website will be useful data for ongoing research into where New Zealand’s ferns occur.
It was a concern to have male fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, entered several times. This is a foreign species that has become weedy in New Zealand; its invasion is only worsening.
Blog post on weedy ferns, including Dryopteris filix-mas.
Botany Curator
I specialise in the taxonomy (i.e., naming) and evolution of New Zealand’s ferns, often using DNA analyses to address issues that can’t be resolved by consideration of the external features of the plants alone. I enjoy exploring new places, even if it is only to see plants I’ve never before encountered in the wild!