MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A type of fern that was thought to have disappeared from Vermont in the last century has been rediscovered along a powerline in the northeast corner of the state.
The climbing fern was last confirmed in Vermont in 1997.
The fern, “Lygodium palmatum,” was one of several plant species that were rediscovered this year.
“We have been finding larger numbers of long-missing plant species in the last few years,” said Bob Popp, a botanist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. “This is largely due to the work of an increased number of volunteers and professional botanists who are allowing us to search more areas of Vermont than in the past.”
The presence of the climbing fern was confirmed by botanist Art Gilman along a VELCO-owned powerline in an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. The state did not say in which town it was rediscovered.
Climbing ferns typically grow a few feet tall in open boggy areas. It is the only species of fern found in the northeast that is a vine.
Though the species is considered secure globally, it is rare in northern New England.
The department said it’s possible the recently discovered patch of climbing fern has been there right along, but it is also possible the species is moving north in response to climate change.
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