fernbrain

fernbrain is an overlooked symptom of coronavirus. to be precise, it is not the virus itself, but rather a syndrome facilitated by coronavirus quarantine. the symptoms include: long staring at fern patches, long staring at parts of your yard that do not contain ferns, impulsive fern dividing and replanting, hyperfocused fern watering, wandering in circles monitoring fern health, anxiety at the approaching end of fern transplant season, excessive photographing of ferns and fern parts, occasionally sitting bolt upright in the middle of the night shouting the word, “ferns!”, and, in its final stages, furtive stroking of, and in extreme cases, talking to, ferns you have come to think of as friends. wait, what was that? water? i’m coming honey! hang in there!

ostrich fern fronds in early spring