Unfurling

There are a number of different ferns dotted around our garden and the Male Fern (Dryopteris) is the most common and by far the dominant one. It grows to nearly a metre in diameter if left to its own devices. It self-seeds very easily and I am forever digging newly rooted ones out of the flower borders where they can be a bit thuggish and take over, swamping more delicate plants. They look their best growing along the side of the burn and today I noticed this year's new growth beginning to unfurl. At this stage, I think they look like a bundle of fancy shepherds' crooks.