Fiddlehead mummies are staring to appear here. As you may know, fiddleheads, named for their shape, are the coiled fronds of young ferns. Although virtually every species of fern starts from a fiddlehead, not all species are safe to eat.
Ostrich fern fiddleheads are edible and considered to be delicacies in New England. They can be identified by their tan paper-like or mummy-like coverings at their early stages. As they grow to edible size, they have a smooth (not fuzzy) green stem that usually has an inside grove.
(Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on April 29, 2022.)