• Interior of the John Brown Fort

    Harpers Ferry

    National Historical Park WV,VA,MD

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  • Temporary Suspension of Reference Collection Research

    Due to preservation and maintenance work scheduled for the park archives and research room/library space, new public research requests will not be filled from June 1st to at least September 30th, 2013.

Ferns

Woolly lip fern

Woolly lip fern (Cheilanthes tomentosa) growing on rocks near Bull Falls.

NPS photo

Almost anywhere you visit in the park will have various fern species to observe since they occupy a wide variety of habitats. On the rock ledges and crevices of outcrops, woolly lip fern (Cheilanthes tomentosa), the locally rare lobed spleenwort (Asplenium pinnatifidum), and the common polypody (Polypodium virginianum) are likely to be found. But on the steep, rocky, and partially shaded slopes of Short Hill, Maryland Heights, and LoudounHeights, marginal shield fern (Dryopteris mariginalis) and Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) are more common. The floodplains and moist, shaded, low slopes surrounding the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers support even more fern species, including intermediate shield fern (Dryopteris intermedia), New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), and fragile fern (Cystopteris protrusa).

Did You Know?

Did You Know?

The Appalachian Trail runs through Harpers Ferry. A short walk along the trail from the lower town to the C&O Canal will take you from West Virginia to Maryland in just a few minutes.