ID on these bug eggs please.

[Peter B]

Was out in the garden today and noticed this fern leaf was absolutely covered in eggs. I apologise for the quality of the photos as I don't have a macro lens, but I was pretty impressed by the way that the eggs have all been layed to use up the available leaf space. It looks like I'm going to have quite a few of these soon, so any idea what they are?

Thanks, Peter

 

[F1.2]

They are spores not eggs

 

[Peter B]

They are spores not eggs

Shows how little I know! Does that mean they'll all be blown away and I'll get ferns everywhere else in the garden?

 

[F1.2]

Err Yes

Google fern spores

 

[Peter B]

Wow, every stalk on this was covered underneath, and I had only seen the one broken stalk that was hanging the wrong way round. All chopped and buried under the grass in the garden recycling bin. Thanks Allen.

 

[Tringa]

Its even more fascinating.

The spores are shed by the fern and if the conditions where they land are right they develop but don't grow into a new fern. They grow into a structure called a prothallus. This develops and grows sex organs that produce eggs and sperm. The sperms swim to the eggs and from the fertilised egg grows a new fern.

Dave

 

[Peter B]

Its even more fascinating.

The spores are shed by the fern and if the conditions where they land are right they develop but don't grow into a new fern. They grow into a structure called a prothallus. This develops and grows sex organs that produce eggs and sperm. The sperms swim to the eggs and from the fertilised egg grows a new fern.

Dave

Dave. As in Attenborough? Sounds like this is a specialist subject for you, but it's all new to me and I can definitely say I've learned things today.

 

[Tringa]

Dave. As in Attenborough?

I should be so lucky.

Dave

 

[dinorock]

well i'm a townie ...but my wife said they are not eggs but spores before i even read the rest of the thread. good call mrs dinorock.

 

[viv1969]

Shame you binned the fern though.
The spores don't mean your garden would fill with little ferns.
I have two, in separate areas of the garden, that do this each year, and have never had a baby one pop up anywhere.

 

[Peter B]

This one had grown to a considerable size and up through another bush that was pretty much hiding it, and it was only because 1 stem had broken and pivoted round that I saw the spores underneath. My garden is pretty much a keen gardener's nightmare with a variety of self-seeded plants, and only a handful of purchased plants in 20-odd years. Fear not though, as my casual binning of the fern didn't extend to digging the whole thing up and I fully expect to see it re-emerge at some point in the future.

 

[Nod]

If a green, slimy patch appears under where the fern is/was, that's the prothalusses/i doing their stuff and you might get some more ferns springing up.

 

[Stuart Philpott]

Jeepers prothallus = gametophyte,wow. Pete there is a reproductive stratergy in play here many will not find the damp conditions to survive so I'd say no you are not going to have them everywhere.it is Matucia struphiopeteris,spelling is probably wrong english is hard for me latin unachieveable it's the shuttlecock fern,sure you have cut it back time will tell how it fares ,but there was no need

take care

Stu

 

[Peter B]

Jeepers prothallus = gametophyte,wow. Pete there is a reproductive stratergy in play here many will not find the damp conditions to survive so I'd say no you are not going to have them everywhere.it is Matucia struphiopeteris,spelling is probably wrong english is hard for me latin unachieveable it's the shuttlecock fern,sure you have cut it back time will tell how it fares ,but there was no need

take care

Stu

Many thanks for this Stu, since I'll know what to look out for in future. I've now become someone who looks under every fern I see while out walking, but I'm sure I'll grow out of it soon.