Pyramid of Ferns
Carbon River, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Openings in the canopy allow sunlight to penetrate to the floor of an old-growth forest, and this promotes the growth of understory plants such as ferns, devil's club, huckleberry, and salal. I was impressed by the stair-stepping structure of this collection of ferns, due in part to the presence of a fallen log. Photo © copyright by Stephen Penland.