Nutrient-rich water in catchment areas supports a wide range of tree species and a healthy shrub layer. Alongside water-tolerant trees such as red maple, black spruce, and eastern white cedar, an ancient family of plants thrives in the Wet Woodlands: the ferns. Many thriving fern families first appeared 45-50 million years ago when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. Unlike most plants, ferns do not produce flowers and seeds; instead, they generate spores from the undersides of their leaves. The coiled immature ostrich fern frond – or fiddlehead – is a culinary favourite, traditionally eaten in spring across parts of Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States.