New shoots are sent up at intervals to produce new plants. The spores require abundant moisture to germinate and survive, therefore, most ferns are found in damp places. On Long Island, the cinnamon fern grows in moist red maple swamps. Fertile fronds of Cinnamon Fern, ripe with spores, with the sterile fronds in the background. Cinnamon Ferns produce two types of fronds.
Sterile fronds are green and perform photosynthesis.
The fertile fronds are narrow and brown and produce the spores. They are the first leaves to appear on the cinnamon fern in the spring. The fertile fronds wither soon after the spores are carried away by the wind. The most common fern on Long Island is the Bracken Fern. This fern is unusual in that it is adapted to dry sandy areas like the upland Pine Barrens.