Walking Fern

Asplenium rhizophyllum

no photo — written note
photo: Wikimedia Commons
Plants

Narrow arrow-shaped evergreen fronds that root at their tips and 'walk' over mossy rock.

Field facts
HabitatShaded limestone and sandstone outcrops
RangeSouthern and central Indiana
When to lookGreen year-round
StatusUncommon; rock-specific (Indiana DNR / IUCN Red List)
Look-alikesHart's-tongue Fern

Field note: It reproduces by rooting frond tips, creating chains across a boulder.

Lesson
Watching responsibly

Moss mats take decades to form; never climb or scrape outcrops.

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