The next time you take a hike after a good rain, look for lush clumps and cloaks of dark green resurrection fern on trunks and limbs of living and dead trees.
Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis michauxiana) is a native perennial. Epiphytic in habit, the fern grows on trees and other plants but not as a parasite. The fern also grows on rocks and other structures (epipetric). The fern has long creeping rhizomes that adhere to its host perch, and fronds reproduce by spores. In dry weather, the small and scaly fronds curl up, turn brown, and appear to be dead.
With rain or fog, they unfurl, turn green, and spring back to life. Hence their name: Resurrection fern.
