A close-up of a (I believe!) Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) which is pretty common throughout the southeastern U.S.

While this example was growing on a roadside, I usually see it growing in trees, like live oaks. It’s an epiphyte, which takes its nutrients and water from the air and rain rather than the host on which it lives.

Its name comes from its behavior of appearing dead and brown during dry spells, with its fronds curled up tightly. But within hours of a good rain, the fronds turn green and unfurl as if coming back to life.