Ferns know their place

The Fernbank is a museum of natural history in Atlanta that had its beginnings when a naturalist named Emily Harrison became enamored with a forest creek bank covered with a variety of ferns. The museum sits in Fernbank Forest, 65 acres just east of downtown Atlanta. It's the largest old-growth Piedmont forest in the country.

Deerfield has its own fernbank. While it does not have the notoriety of Miss Harrison's ferns, it's mighty important to me. The ferns on one side of my driveway keep the steep slope from eroding. I don't know if the ferns were strategically planted there, but it's the thickest growth of erosion fighters anywhere on our property. I prefer to think they found their place naturally, just like Miss Harrison's favorite ferns.