North Fern

Field notes on ferns, mosses and slow walks in wet woods.

Pressing fronds without a flower press

4 May 2026

Two old phone books, newspaper and a couple of bricks work fine. Lay the frond flat between sheets of newspaper, spread the pinnae with a dry brush, and change the paper after the first day, then every few days.

Thin fronds like lady fern dry in about a week. Leathery ones take twice as long and keep their colour better if they are pressed the same day they are picked.