Kip’s Comments - April 24, 2026

A Fern Is A Weed?

On the upper edge of the ditch near our home i noticed quite a few of these short, tan, plants with odd ends on them. My plant app identified them as “field horsetails.”

Field Horsetail - Image 1091269

Field horsetails have tan fertile parts (shown here) and later in the growing season display with sterile green vegetation.

The surprise to me was learning that field horsetails are in the fern family. And, due to their ability to become established in so many habitats, field horsetails are considered weeds. In other words, a field horsetail - a fern - is a weed. Maybe others knew this species of fern is a weed, but I did not. I didn’t even know it was a fern. I learned something today!