I spotted a little green smudge halfway up the rocky cliff. Why climb up there? After all, it was most likely the common mountain spleenwort fern — not so! When I climbed to the site, “Wow!” The smudge turned out to be the rare Bradley’s Spleenwort which now I could place on my list of Pittsylvania County ferns.
This cliff was located along the edge of the Pigg River about 200 yards west of the VA 40 bridge.
Also see this illustration in larger format, and the article “Ferns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia.”
Copyright © 2007 William T. Hathaway.