STERLING - Ferns of the forest captivated Sterling Nature Center visitors Saturday afternoon as they walked along cool, forested trails, led by Amy D'Angelo, wife of Jim D'Angelo, naturalist and director of the center.

Ferns like living in the shadow of the forest, Amy D'Angelo said, trailing their intricate fronds about the woodland lawn. Along the way, she explained techniques and ways to identify the feathery foliage.

Those along for the walk included frequent visitors Kathryn Whitehouse, of Cayuga, and Shirley Ryan, of Auburn, Judy Gusweiler and Brian Morgan, Kirsten and Johnathan Basch, of Syracuse, and their children, Adam, 4, and Nathan, 9, and Azure D'Angelo, 10, with her cousin, Kristen D'Angelo, 10, of Oswego.

“All those other plants have created the conditions for the seedlings to sprout,” Amy D'Angelo said. “What came before creates conditions for other species native to that habitat.”

Identifying ferns by cut and shape was stressed in the presentation and applied in the field. Cut defines how many stalks appear on the plant and shape relates to where the longest leaflets are. Broad-based ferns have the longest leaflets at the base of the leaf; semi-tapered have the longest leaflets in the middle of the stalk; and tapered are like semi-tapered but the bottom pair of leaflets hug the stem.

Besides true ferns, horsetails and mosses were discussed. Horsetail, a fern ally, doesn't look like a fern but it reproduces and grows by the same means: spores. Club mosses are also allies.

The group followed Dogwood Extension Road and took the southern route of Heron Trail to the Heron Rookery. The first fern spotted was a sensitive fern, which has a separate leaf containing spores.

“It's called a ‘sensitive fern' because it's the first one to die when winter comes,” D'Angelo said. “The most common fern is the wood fern,” she added. “Wood ferns are the only fern not on the protected species list.”

Several people examined ferns for sporesacks. There are about 10,000 spores in a spore sack.

The trail passed a beaver wetland, ponds created when beavers dammed up the water. A Lady Fern, which is delicate looking compared to most others, grew nearby.

While adults focused on the ferns, Nathan Basch was curious about the mushrooms growing on a log, while his younger brother, Nathan, kept track of a Daddy Longlegs creeping along.

A Silvery Spleenwort popped up next as well as a field of Bracken Fern.

“They're very particular about their environment,” D'Angelo said, adding that she is surprised that they grew in this climate at all, as it tends to be too hot.

But she noticed a breeze corridor through the woods where they were growing and thought that's why they were so abundant in a single spot.

Allies also popped up along the route: club moss, not like moss at all, was a delicate plant reminiscent of a kush ball. Kristen wanted to eat Partridge Berry was growing near it, but D'Angelo intervened.

“Nature keeps an eye on its refrigerator and it knows when things are good to eat,” she said.

At the heron rookery, plenty of New York Fern grew, set off by a lone heron perched on a barren tree branch.

D'Angelo said the branches are breaking off, and soon the herons will leave the area.

Right now there are still lots of frogs and fish to eat.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran @ lee.net