Bracken

I never knew, until today, that this type of fern was called Bracken. I thought bracken was a general term for the stuff you crunched underfoot during a walk in the woods. I thought bracken was a good name for it - onomatopoeic. Just goes to show you never stop learning.

These ferns are extraordinary things to look at, with their tightly curled tips like snail shells, unfurling to revel frondy leaves. This one lives in my garden. It's beautiful and well worth a Blip, but sadly won't hang around for long. I'm pretty sure they're toxic to animals and linked to cancer in humans, so I pull them up when I see them come through. Still, I wanted to record it as another one of Nature's works of art.