This past weekend we took a hike at Yosemite National Park. The ferns were all coming to life and unrolling their new growth. I found the soft greens a delight for the eyes.
"All of the parts of the frond of a fern are tightly folded spirally within the bud and every fold of every leaflet is also folded in a spiral. But the first glance at one of these little woolly spirals gives us but small conception of its marvelous enfolding. Every part of the frond is present in that bud, even to the fruiting organs..."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 698 in the section "How a Fern Bud Unfolds"
Here is a look at what the fern looks like after it unfolds. Beautiful.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom