fiddleheads unfurling

One of the fun things about spring in the woods of Maine

is watching the unfurling of the ferns.

In Maine, the "fiddlehead" stage of the ostrich fern

is a seasonal delicacy.  They taste somewhat like asparagus,

and you can buy them at the side of the road 

and even in some grocery stores.

I don't know what kind of ferns these are.

I caught these photos one day on a walk

the week I got back from Hong Kong.

By now with the time that has passed, and all the rain, 

I am sure they are fiddleheads no more;

instead, glorious ferns carpeting the woods 

everywhere the soil is right and the sun peeks through a bit, 

but not too much.

(Do people eat fiddleheads where you are, too?)