Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)

Sensitive fern varies in height from a few inches to more than 3 ft. Its sterile fronds, which wither early, are light to brown-mottled green and deeply cut into long lobes which almost reach the stem. Twice-pinnate fertile fronds appear in late summer and, though dead, remain upright through winter. Fiddleheads appear in the spring in shades of pale red. The roots colonize but are usually shallow, though hefty. (LBJ Wildflower Center, 2017).
Found in moist woodlands, floodplains, stream banks, swamps, and marshes.
The sensitive fern has coarsely lobed leaves and is medium to large in size.
Its name comes from American settlers that it was sensitive to frost, as it would die quickly when first touched by it.