Our colder nights have given the Cinnamon Ferns the signal to start their metallic metamorphosis into gold and copper, as you can see from this image taken yesterday:
This Fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, is one of the first plants in the woods to show fall colors.
Records indicate that Native Americans, notably the Abnaki and Menominee, ate various parts of Cinnamon Fern, especially the tender spring fiddleheads from which the fronds emerge. You’ll find reports that this fern is safe for humans to eat and reports that it is toxic (including carcinogenic). I wouldn’t eat any part of it if I were you.
Apparently, there also are doubts about the historic medical benefits of this plant. (Native Americans reportedly used Cinnamon Fern to treat rheumatism, headaches, chills, and colds.) On the other hand, the Ferns are commercially harvested for their bristly root crowns of osmunda fiber, which is a popular potting medium for orchids. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on September 29, 2022.