Ferns and clubmossesIn Ohio
Sensitive fern
Onoclea sensibilis L.
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Polypodiopsida
- Order
- Polypodiales
- Family
- Onocleaceae
- Genus
- Onoclea
Range
Where it is recorded
Season shown in 4 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
- No result yet (20)
- Recorded, too few records for a result (49)
- Recorded, season not shown (15)
- Season shown (4)
Counties as a table
| County | Records |
|---|---|
| Adams County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Allen County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ashland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ashtabula County | 29 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Athens County | 244 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Auglaize County | No qualifying records yet |
| Belmont County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Brown County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Butler County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Carroll County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Champaign County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Clark County | No qualifying records yet |
| Clermont County | 64 · Season shown |
| Clinton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Columbiana County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Coshocton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Crawford County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Cuyahoga County | 171 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Darke County | No qualifying records yet |
| Defiance County | No qualifying records yet |
| Delaware County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Erie County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fairfield County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fayette County | No qualifying records yet |
| Franklin County | 30 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Fulton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Gallia County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Geauga County | 95 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Greene County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Guernsey County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Hamilton County | 44 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Hancock County | No qualifying records yet |
| Hardin County | No qualifying records yet |
| Harrison County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Henry County | No qualifying records yet |
| Highland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Hocking County | 40 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Holmes County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Huron County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Jackson County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Jefferson County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Knox County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lake County | 78 · Season shown |
| Lawrence County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Licking County | 29 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Logan County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lorain County | 49 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Lucas County | 39 · Season shown |
| Madison County | No qualifying records yet |
| Mahoning County | 47 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Marion County | No qualifying records yet |
| Medina County | 46 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Meigs County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Mercer County | No qualifying records yet |
| Miami County | No qualifying records yet |
| Monroe County | No qualifying records yet |
| Montgomery County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Morgan County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Morrow County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Muskingum County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Noble County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ottawa County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Paulding County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Perry County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Pickaway County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Pike County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Portage County | 87 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Preble County | No qualifying records yet |
| Putnam County | No qualifying records yet |
| Richland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ross County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Sandusky County | No qualifying records yet |
| Scioto County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Seneca County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Shelby County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Stark County | 47 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Summit County | 260 · Season shown |
| Trumbull County | 22 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Tuscarawas County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Union County | No qualifying records yet |
| Van Wert County | No qualifying records yet |
| Vinton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Warren County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Washington County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Wayne County | 39 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Williams County | No qualifying records yet |
| Wood County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Wyandot County | No qualifying records yet |
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Ohio
Mid-April to mid-October, middle week Jun 14–20
Middle week · Jun 14–20
This week · Nov 8–14
Show over the bars
Records per week from 2,565 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 1,117 dates. Latest record: December 2025.
Show as a table
| Week | Records of sensitive fern | Years recorded | Records of all species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4–10 | 2 | 2 | 6,211 |
| Jan 11–17 | 2 | 2 | 5,146 |
| Jan 18–24 | 2 | 2 | 4,645 |
| Jan 25–31 | 5 | 2 | 4,698 |
| Feb 1–7 | 7 | 4 | 6,023 |
| Feb 8–14 | 8 | 5 | 5,888 |
| Feb 15–21 | 5 | 3 | 5,436 |
| Feb 22–28 | 7 | 4 | 6,846 |
| Mar 1–7 | 6 | 4 | 8,321 |
| Mar 8–14 | 11 | 5 | 10,384 |
| Mar 15–21 | 10 | 5 | 12,620 |
| Mar 22–28 | 4 | 3 | 13,949 |
| Mar 29 – Apr 4 | 12 | 6 | 19,661 |
| Apr 5–11 | 13 | 6 | 26,860 |
| Apr 12–18 | 33 | 6 | 39,925 |
| Apr 19–25 | 63 | 10 | 41,623 |
| Apr 26 – May 2 | 123 | 10 | 56,391 |
| May 3–9 | 179 | 9 | 52,952 |
| May 10–16 | 150 | 10 | 53,785 |
| May 17–23 | 176 | 9 | 57,698 |
| May 24–30 | 178 | 10 | 54,651 |
| May 31 – Jun 6 | 127 | 10 | 53,099 |
| Jun 7–13 | 102 | 10 | 53,700 |
| Jun 14–20 | 120 | 10 | 56,625 |
| Jun 21–27 | 85 | 10 | 55,361 |
| Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 63 | 10 | 58,477 |
| Jul 5–11 | 58 | 9 | 61,336 |
| Jul 12–18 | 85 | 10 | 64,722 |
| Jul 19–25 | 72 | 8 | 69,753 |
| Jul 26 – Aug 1 | 48 | 10 | 59,416 |
| Aug 2–8 | 82 | 9 | 59,712 |
| Aug 9–15 | 53 | 9 | 55,994 |
| Aug 16–22 | 54 | 8 | 54,328 |
| Aug 23–29 | 85 | 10 | 51,772 |
| Aug 30 – Sep 5 | 70 | 8 | 57,167 |
| Sep 6–12 | 82 | 9 | 59,075 |
| Sep 13–19 | 57 | 10 | 54,543 |
| Sep 20–26 | 71 | 10 | 45,860 |
| Sep 27 – Oct 3 | 60 | 9 | 43,180 |
| Oct 4–10 | 45 | 8 | 37,841 |
| Oct 11–17 | 54 | 9 | 30,824 |
| Oct 18–24 | 24 | 8 | 21,156 |
| Oct 25–31 | 36 | 7 | 19,021 |
| Nov 1–7 | 10 | 5 | 14,172 |
| Nov 8–14 | 4 | 3 | 12,621 |
| Nov 15–21 | 3 | 3 | 7,965 |
| Nov 22–28 | 3 | 2 | 8,136 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 5 | 1 | 1 | 6,083 |
| Dec 6–12 | 2 | 2 | 6,004 |
| Dec 13–19 | 7 | 5 | 5,423 |
| Dec 20–26 | 5 | 2 | 5,661 |
| Dec 27 – Jan 2 | 1 | 1 | 8,459 |
Reported in flower
No records here show flowers yet, so there is no flowering season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
Reported in fruit
No records here show fruit yet, so there is no fruiting season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Look-alikes
Land cover
Often confused with
- dwarf chain fern Lorinseria areolataOften confused in Ohio: 12 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris122 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- cinnamon fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum68 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- broad beech fern Phegopteris hexagonoptera67 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
- American Royal Fern Osmunda spectabilis61 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Land cover where it is recorded
| Land cover | Its recordsAll Ohio records |
|---|---|
| Forest | 61%31% |
| Developed | 22%49% |
| Farmland | 8%11% |
| Wetland | 8%5% |
| Open water | 0.6%3% |
| Grassland and shrub | 0.5%0.9% |
From 1,428 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
- Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
- Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
- See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.
Records behind the Ohio result
2,565 records from 2 datasets.
- iNaturalist Research-grade Observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 2,558 recordsiNaturalist contributors, iNaturalist (2026). iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-11-13.
- iNaturalist observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 7 recordsiNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 2026-11-13
To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.