There are few plants in flower in the woods this morning apart from Ivy. I find some Wood Sedge alongside the rail bed which still have fruits so spend a bit of time getting some clearer photos than I’ve managed earlier in the year.

I wander down the railway track to the old tunnel mouth and investigate the walls each side of it. Hartstongue fern is making a living in the wall joint crevices. The more mature plants have the distinctive long leaves which give the fern its name. On the underside of the strap-shaped leaves are the shadows of sporangia along each leaf rib and there are clumps of fluffy chestnut coloured spores. The younger plants have almost heart-shaped leaves.

The Woodland Trust website tells me that Hartstongue is our only British fern which doesn’t have divided leaves although as a newbie to ferns I would have thought that applies to Adderstongue too. Either way it’s an easy one for me to learn as it’s taken up residence on our door steps.