Found out ferns have been around for 360 million years - that's before dinosaurs even existed

I was reading a park pamphlet while waiting for my kid at a playground in Portland and it said ferns are older than trees, which just blew my mind considering I've been yanking them out of my yard for years without a second thought - has anyone else stumbled on a random plant fact that completely changed how you look at something common?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_murphy10d ago

And now every fern in my yard feels like a tiny time traveler.

olivia_white9310d ago

Wait, does that mean my ferns are secretly judging me for not watching Jurassic Park with them? I mean, maybe it's just me but they do kinda have that ancient "I've seen things" vibe, especially when they unfurl in the morning. Mine are probably plotting to take over the yard and reclaim their prehistoric glory.

troychen10d ago

Haven't you heard that ferns actually predate dinosaurs by like 100 million years or something? I read somewhere that they were already covering the earth long before the T-Rex ever showed up. So your ferns aren't just judging you for not watching Jurassic Park, they're judging you for thinking dinosaurs are the old news when ferns are literally the OG survivors. Makes you wonder if they're secretly smug about outlasting everything else that's come and gone.