Showers and Thunderstorms Across the East; Rain and Mountain Snow out West. A frontal boundary draped from the Mid-Atlantic to Texas will continue to focus showers with the potential for locally heavy precipitation. A new active storm pattern will bring rain with mountain snow to the west. Pacific storms moving into the Central U.S. this week will bring showers and thunderstorms to the northern states. Read More >. Customize Your Weather.gov.
The prothallium produces both male and female sexual organs. When the female organs become fertilized by the male organs, small fern plants begin to grow. In some ferns it can take as long as six months for the first fronds (leaves) to appear after sexual fertilization.
Fern leaves grow from a rhizome. Fern leaves are fan-shaped and also play an important role in reproduction. The production of spores occurs in structures called sporangia. These structures are found on the surface of the fronds, usually on the underside of the leaf. When the sporangia or spore casings dry out, the dispersal of spores occurs into the atmosphere. Certain fern species date back nearly 400 million years. There are about 12,000 fern species.