Fiddlehead FernFiddleheads, an early spring delicacy throughout their range, are the young coiled fronds of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other. Ostrich fern fiddleheads, which are about an inch in diameter, can be identified by the brown papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern, as well as the smooth fern stem, and the deep ”U”-shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem. Look for ostrich ferns emerging in clusters of about three to twelve fiddleheads each on the banks of rivers, streams, and brooks in late April, May, and early June.
The Fiddlehead Fern is important to the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest because they are a food source for herbivores and they grow in the canopy and help to block the sunlight so that the rainforest stays damp. If the ferns were removed from the Amzonian ecosystem the rainforest would become too dry and also herbivores would lose their food. i
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