Concrete Polly

My daughter has never forgotten my method of remembering the names of two of our common native ferns. Blechnum spicant, the hard fern,  is 'spick and span' because of its neat habit and  evergreen fronds, while Polypodium vulgare, the common polypody which often perches in trees, is named after a parrot! 

This lovely specimen of the latter is perching on the side of the Black Lynn in Oban, growing in fact in a crack in the concrete. This is probably the least attractive section of the burn, flowing here between concrete buildings, one of them being Kwik Fit. These ferns don't mind where they grow, fortunately, as long as it's damp.