My apologies if you are creeped out by references to snakes. Rattlesnake Fern is the common name for Botrypus virginianus. Some say the common name comes from it growing in rattlesnake territory. However its range is across all the United States and nearly all of Canada with the exception of its far northern territories. Others say the clusters of spore-bearing capsules resemble a rattlesnake’s tail. I think the second option makes more sense. Are you breathing a sigh of relief now?

In the spring on a single stem, a single leaf emerges which has two distinct parts. A sterile leafy part and a fertile spore-bearing part.

An image of a nymph of an assassin bug waiting for his dinner to come by.

As spring turns into summer these two leaf parts senesce (wither away with age), the spores having matured by July. I’ve seen these ferns often as I wander looking for photos in the woods. One has even volunteered in one of my gardens. So much joy in the woods.