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Red Rock Ferns

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Red Rock Ferns

People, I don't know ferns! I used to know a woman named Fern, but that was a very long time ago! :O Cheilanthes (lip ferns) is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and evergreen. The leaves, often densely covered in hair, spring directly from the rootstocks. Many of them are desert ferns, curling up during dry times and reviving with the coming of moisture. Even if you go a few miles into Nevada's Fern Canyon, you're sure to find plenty of things to catch your interest. There are paths to the climbing routes cutting through the brush to the base of the cliffs, and the Dark Shadows climb is popular. There are plenty of pools and seasonal waterfalls where you can ENJOY the shade of this tree-filled creek, and get your feet wet! (No, rubber boots are not necessary!) By the end of summer, there are typically more mosquitoes and algae than you can shake a stick at, but spring and early summer can be GLORIOUS. Photo taken on the canyon bottom of North Fork - Pine Creek OR Fern Canyon, about halfway up the canyon before you get to the seasonal waterfall, and just past the Dark Shadows area. Did you get that??? March 10, 2008 in RRCNCA, Clark County, Nevada