Interupted Fern, Closeup of Fronds

Interupted Fern, June 7, 2005
I really enjoy "close-up" photography, especially when using my 200 mm Micro lens. I like to find and isolate patterns that I discover in nature, like the fronds (leaves) of a fern. And I like to show the texture. Of course, I would also like to make a photograph of the entire plant, but sometimes a "wider" view can also look chaotic. To get a "portrait" of a plant, it is important to also find a background that works well. And in nature, the background is already provided. The challenge is trying to "see" a shot that has good potential and getting there on a day when the conditions are right. To make a good portrait of a woodland fern, it is important to find a calm and overcast day. Bursts of wind will cause the fronds to blur in the frame. Bright sunlight will cause uneven lighting due to the combination of shade and sun reaching the the forest floor.
Interupted fern gets its name from the arrangement of spores along the frond. The frond is composed of many pinnules (leaflets) all lined up along the stipe (central leaf stem). The brown spores "interupt" the pinnules about halfway, creating a gap. A close relative of this fern is the cinnamon fern. Its leaves look very much the same as interupted fern, but its spores grow on a separate stalk--which resembles a cinnamon stick, hence its name. Both the interupted fern and cinnamon fern can reach a height of 3 feet (1 meter).