In a new monthly column, Pip Squire explores the myth, magic and allure of the oft-overlooked fern.
Most fern species are dormant at this time of year, hidden within the earth — just little crowns of hair, waiting for their time — and others, hardy and stalwart, carry on through. But even those that have died off provide ground cover, as they have since prehistory.
Hedge banks are sanctuaries which incubate the spring flowers. The snowdrops and the primroses will come up through the decaying fronds, their delicate bulbs protected by a bracken blanket over the winter months.
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As told to the editor.
An artist based in Devon and Cornwall, Pip Squire is a colour enthusiast, and a lover of the stories contained in plants, people and animals.