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IN AUTUMN AND WINTER, OUR TEMPERATE rainforests look lusher than ever compared to other woods. Found on the dampest western coasts of Britain and Ireland, often on steep or exposed slopes facing the Atlantic, these wild and wet forests are unlike anything else in these islands. Evergreen ferns, mosses, lichens and liverworts of many different kinds cover the ground and trees. <\/p>\n\n
One of the most obvious species is the polypody fern, which has thick, glossy green fronds divided into leaflets like fat fingers, up to 20 or so on each side of the central stalk. The rows of ochre-coloured spots under the fronds are sori \u2013 structures that contain spores. If you see this distinctive fern growing on mossy tree trunks and branches, it\u2019s a pretty good sign you are in a temperate rainforest. Conservationists are raising awareness of this precious, threatened habitat to improve protection of the patches that remain. <\/p>\n\n There’s no better time to visit Britain’s lush temperate rainforests 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no better time to visit Britain's lush temperate 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BH <\/strong><\/p>\n\n