Furled Fiddlehead

"Furled Fiddlehead" 

Judy Royal Glenn Photography 

I have been wanting to photograph a furled fiddlehead for a while now—I just did not know what they were called. I knew it was a curled fern leaf, but after doing a little research, I found they were called fiddleheads. 

More interesting is the fiddlehead got its name from the ferns resemblance to the curled end of a stringed musical instrument like a violin or fiddle. The fiddleheads are also cooked then eaten. I read they high in vitamin A and C, are very nutritious, and also have powerful anti-inflammatory and hormone-regulating abilities.

There are also negative aspect to eating certain types of fiddleheads —cancer being one, and they have also "been linked to a number of food-borne illnesses in both the US and Canada." You can read the article if you would like. 

For me, it won't be bon appétit!

Location: The State Botanical Garden of Georgia