A fern like no other

I was fortunate to find this small colony of strange looking plants Nov. 23. They were the dominant plant in an area the general shape of a circle about 12 feet across.

Dark purplish to black beads decorated stems, many of which stuck up nearly 3 feet into the air. The jagged yellow-brown leaves you see here are from this same plant.

This is an unusual kind of fern called sensitive fern or also beaded fern. It grows best in shaded areas where the soil remains moist year 'round. The dark beads are the fern's fronds. The name "sensitive fern" comes from the plant's sensitivity to first frosts of autumn, which kills its leaves.