Going Down Rabbit Holes

Spent the day (all church services canceled because of weather) searching the internet for leads on Snow Trillium. Trillium's are one of my favorite wildflowers and this is a West Virginia native that I would love to see. So I am trying to narrow down a spot in one of the six West Virginia counties that it is found to look for it. In the process, I ran across a picture of Walking Fern; this reminds me of a cluster that I saw on a rock ledge at Brush Creek Preserve just a few days ago.

Walking Fern, Brush Creek Preserve January 27, 2013

         I started down that rabbit hole to see how rare they are in West Virginia, but never found anything definitive. While doing that I found a picture of Adders Tongue Fern which led me down another hole. I have  a plant near my home that I assumed was Adders Mouth Orchid, and each year I look for a bloom and only find a tongue shaped stem. Every year, for five or more years, I was frustrated, waiting for that crazy orchid to bloom thinking it was too dry, too hot, too cold or too something. Mystery solved, its a fern, dummy. Down another hole; how many others are confused? Not much about that it seems. How common is this fern? Not much there either. Any one have a similar experience?

Adders Mouth Orchid that I have yet to see

     

Adders Tongue FERN   from near my home

  After a day chasing rabbits, I still don't know where to look for Snow Trillium (yet) but I have learned something new, which should be a daily goal  for each of us. 

My journey took me somewhat further down the rabbit-hole than I'd intended and, though I dirtied my fluffy white tail, I've emerged... enlightened.    Sherlock Holmes (2009)