This spectacular looking side-lit shot of a fern was taken late one afternoon on a late summers day a couple of years back here on the BC coast. I had spotted the fern growing on a fallen, rotting, tree trunk lying partly in the river and as I rounded the corner the low-lying light coming up the river just lit it wonderfully; from a photographers perspective. The Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) is found up and down the coast, being more widespread in the slightly warmer southern areas – less so farther north. Like many ferns, it’s leaves grow either fertile or sterile, with the fertile leaves growing spores or ‘sori’ in two rows along the underside of the leaf. Also known as the Western Sword Fern – this plant is a favourite with gardeners and florists for ornamental attraction.
