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.
