Walk this way

A few weeks back after my trip to Hope Bay on the Bruce, the group I was with had expressed interest in seeing walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum).  As the name suggests, this fern is on the move and it spreads by tip-rooting, essentially setting root from the end of the frond.  It's found growing on calcareous boulders and outcrops, largely on the Escarpment here in Ontario, and can be prolific where it occurs as a result of it's growth habit.

The population in the photo was shown to me a few years back and is one of few, if not the only population in Waterloo Region, a couple hundred plants on 2 boulders the size of a desk.

Also, anyone interested in a digital copy of the classic Ferns and Fern Allies of Canada by Cody and Britton, it can be downloaded here.