Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides
This fern is a New England woodland native that is also popular for gardens and as a potted house plant. Its name may come from the fact that it is evergreen. A useful image for recognizing this species is that the pinnae can be construed to look like tiny Christmas stockings (top right photo). The fertile fronds become long, lean and upright, the backs totally covered with brown spores (bottom right photo). Christmas Ferns are planted around the base of the Water Department building to the left of the Ranger Station.