I mentioned the other day that plants are seeding and sporing early this year. I almost missed some of the fern spores.
Dull with some showers.
Common Polypody spores are bright yellow when ripe. The sample to the right has been nibbled by micromoth larvae. The two pale patches right of centre might actually be larval cases, so I'll have to go back and check those.
These Soft Shield Fern spores have already started to disperse. Most other specimens had no spores left at all.
On the other hand, the Male Fern spores hadn't even ripened, yet.
Spores of the Broad Buckler Fern are arranged in two rows near the centre of the pinnules.
Hartstongue Fern has these dark sporangia that contain the spores.