Log Fern

The log fern is a perennial fern of the wood fern family Dryopteridaceae native to the southeastern United States. Its name and its ecology are closely tied: it grows characteristically on rotting logs and in the rich, saturated soil of swamps and wet woodlands, habitats few other wood ferns favor as strongly. NatureServe rates the species Apparently Secure, meaning it faces no significant range-wide risk of extinction despite its narrow habitat preference.