Ferns were never a big part of my life growing up. Sure I saw them on walks in the park and occasionally somewhere that had them landscaped in… but it wasn’t until our 2024 trip to New Zealand that I realized I love ferns. I think they’re easily one of the prettiest and most interesting plants!

One of our go-to podcasts we listen to on long drives is called Ologies. Earlier this summer Greg and I listened to the Pteridology (FERNS!!!!) episode of the Ologies podcast.

I was SHOCKED to hear we have an endangered fern that grows just over an hour away from our home! SO of course—I had to add it to my “shit to do” list for this summer. And summer is very quickly getting away from us!

This past weekend I headed out on a fern-hunt, looking for the rare American Hart's-Tongue Fern.

We drove out to Chittenango Falls State Park in Madison County. Which is one of only two spots in the entire state where this thing grows. The fern is federally threatened, and almost the whole New York population is packed into just two parks: Chittenango Falls and Clark Reservation. It doesn't even look like a "fern" fern. It’s got no feathery fronds, just these long, solid, tongue-shaped leaves tucked into damp limestone crevices. The name comes from "hart," an old word for a male deer, because the leaf looks like a deer's tongue. Weird little plant. I was into it before we even got out of the car.

We took the gorge trail down to the waterfall, which was all downhill and short — mostly stairs, with a little winding back and forth. Definitely a walk I was glad to have close-toed shoes for, since it was rocky and uneven in spots. The trail led directly to a bridge, where you could either cross to the other side or just look at the waterfall and turn around.

I took option C which was put feet in water + casually look for the fern. I wasn’t expecting to find the fern so coming up without the picture proof I was hoping for wasn’t that disappointing. I knew the hike up was going to be a haul so I really savored these moments of chill.

But before we turned around, I had to selfie on the bridge. 👇

Spoiler: we didn't find it — which, honestly, checks out. It's growing in a handful of protected crevices in a park that isn't exactly labeling "fern here," and it blends right into the rock. There was a sign at the top of the trail mentioning the fern and a snail — both endangered.

We didn't find the fern, but we're already planning round two. If you've ever gone looking for something rare and came up empty, tell me about it in the comments — I need the company.