2. Fern Grotto
Interpretive Stops  1.  Along Aptos Creek  2.  Fern Grotto  3.  Twisted Grove  4.  Geologic Foundation  5.  Redwoods and Associates  6.  Magnificent Old Growth  7.  Fairy Ring in the Making  8.  Granary, Stump, and Burl  9.  The Pourroy Garden 10. The Little Slide 11. Smiley Face Stump 12. Big "Round" 13. Goosepen Tree 14. The "Advocate Tree" 15. The Ravine 16. Pourroy's Picnic Area Additional Information  Animals of Marcel's Forest  TimeLine  Glossary  Teacher Workshop		Beautiful Native Ferns Grow Creekside Mr. Pourroy was fond of the native ferns and did everything he could to protect them. One time, Mr. Pourroy chased a pair of "fern thieves" when he saw them pilfering the native ferns from his land. The thieves ran to safety across the creek where the Advocates' Seasonal Bridge now stands. Mr. Pourroy decided not to pursue them when he heard their truck rev up and speed away. The steep sides of the creek look like solid rock. However, this soil is actually the loose, porous sandstone that we'll learn about at Stop 4. Because the sandstone is permeable and holds water easily, the sides of the creek are a perfect habitat where moisture-loving ferns and their relatives can grow. Some of the plants you'll see growing on the creek embankment are California polypody, five-finger fern, chain fern, coastal wood fern, bracken fern, liverworts, and moss. Can You Recognize the Most Common Forest Ferns? Before you leave the forest today, see if you can identify the four most common ferns in Marcel's Forest. Sword Fern. The sword fern is the most common fern in Marcel's Forest. It is easily identified by the small protrusion near its stem that looks like the "hilt" of a sword blade. Coastal Wood Fern. Coastal wood ferns grow throughout the forest. They've been seen on the sides of the trail along the loop, but particularly near Stops 1 and 16 and between Stops 6 and 8. Sori on the underside of the leaf is covered by a horseshoe-shaped flap called an indusium. Chain Fern. Chain ferns can be easily recognized because spores, underneath the leaves, are lined up behind one another giving the impression of links on a chain. The spores are encased in a brown flap called an indusium. Turn a leaf over and look for two solid rows of sori. Bracken Fern. Bracken fern is common throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and can be found growing on dry to moist sites. In Marcel's Forest, it grows all along the trail, including the Pourroy Garden. The black roots of the bracken fern were used by the Ohlone to make the dark weave in baskets. Fallen Redwood Logs Important to the Forest As you head up the trail to Twisted Grove, look for the fallen redwood log on the south side of the trail. Fallen logs such as this one are an integral part of the redwood forest. Logs give shelter to nesting birds and animals, and also provide the beginning to a complex and interdependent food chain. Fungi and bacteria break down rotting logs, producing nutrients that plants use in order to grow. Plants, in turn, become the food source for birds, mammals, and insects of the forest. Fallen logs are so important to the stability and renewal of redwood forests that scientists characterize a healthy redwood forest by the presence of fallen logs.  Back to ALONG APTOS CREEK   Forward to TWISTED GROVE	Ancient Fossil Fern "Coastal Wood Fern" Five-finger Ferns and moss grow on the steep sides of the Fern Grotto Nursery log on the trail

 

© 2002 "A Walk Along Old-Growth Loop."  All Rights Reserved.