Golden-scaled male fern

I had a chilly afternoon at Dancersend nature reserve looking at mosses and fungi. It was also a delight to see the Golden-scaled male ferns, Dryopteris affinis, looking their best against the stark leafless trees and dense layer of leaf litter. This really is a large rubust fern, nearly 1.5m tall, with beautiful arching fronds and richly-coloured scaly stipes - see extra photo.