Violets and rattlesnake fern have been ‘finds’ over the past few weeks. Violets were not new to me - I notice them when they bloom every spring. What I had not noticed previously was the seed pods that are produced afterward. This year they seem to be everywhere - or I am just recognizing them for what they are.
![](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a947c9893fc067169a1515/t/59a9d82202d7bca420cfe24e/1433205771543/1000w/2015+06+IMG_0323.jpg)
The rattlesnake fern is new to me. It is a very different kind of fern. I saw it first in the Patapsco Valley State Park near Belmont and then noticed many more plants at the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. I’ve added arrows to this picture ---- everywhere I noticed one there seemed to be other growing nearby! It looks different than many ferns in that the fronds come from a central stalk and
The spore producing frond is almost like a ‘flower’ above the leaves. I found myself wanting to photograph the variations of that spore pr
oduci
ng frond!