I thought I would start my previously-mentioned 251 Club of Vermont challenge close to home, here in Ryegate. Composed of East Ryegate, South Ryegate and Ryegate Corner, this is the southern-most town in the Northeast Kingdom.

Some of the more picturesque scenes include the old dairy farms, Ticklenaked Pond, White Mountain vistas and stretches of the historic Bayley-Hazen Road. 

On a wooded bank along the side of the road I was surprised to find some evergreen ferns peeking out from under the snow. Based on the leaf shapes and spore pattern, I am pretty sure these are marginal wood ferns (Dryopteris marginalis). I made a one-of-a-kind fern necklace this past summer (below right), and am hoping to make a mold to make some new ones. I thought I'd have to wait until spring, but was happy to discover these tenacious ferns.