1.  Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) - This dainty fern has a black leaf stalk, blue-green fronds, and is horseshoe-shaped.  It grows 1 to 3 feet tall in evenly moist, rich soil in part to full shade.  Very tolerant of alkaline soils.  It is native to eastern and central Northern America.

2.  Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) – The 1 to 2-foot long feathery fronds are delicate and can be easily broken.  The rhizomes can be erect or ascending.  This native of Europe and Asia is easy to grow if grown in shade.  It can adapt to sun if the soil is kept moist.  Keep sheltered from the wind.

3.  Crested Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina ‘Cristatum’) – This fern has flat, fan-like crests on frond tips and leaflet tips. Both green- and red-stalked forms are available.  It grows 1 to 2 feet tall.

4.  Lady in Red Fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) – This fern, native to eastern and northern North America, grows 1½  to 2½ feet tall and has lacy, light green fronds with long contrasting burgundy-red stipes.  It does best in sheltered locations.

5.  Painted Japanese fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’) - One of the most popular ferns in cultivation,  the tri-colored fronds of this Asian fern develop the best color in light shade.  Too much sun washes out the color. This fern does best in a shaded, moist garden in loose soil.  Sends up fronds all summer into fall.

6.  Silver Falls Japanese fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Silver Falls’)  - This fern grows to 15 to 18 inches tall, has an arching habit, and silver foliage with maroon colored mid-rib.  Foliage is more silver in light shade.

7.  Rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) – This 6 to 20-inch long fern has erect-arching fronds with a subterranean rhizome.  This difficult to grow fern has a fertile stalk growing from the base of the sterile blades.  It grows in rich moist woods in North America, Europe, and Asia.

9.  Golden-Scale Male Fern (Dryopteris affinis) – This semi-evergreen fern has 2 to 3-foot long erect fronds.  It’s easy to grow and is highly adaptable.  It can tolerate some sun, but prefers shade.  The plant forms multiple crowns which should be separated.  It can be easily propagated by spores.  It is native to Europe and Asia.

10.  Goldie’s Wood Fern (Dryopteris goldiana) - One of the largest of the native wood ferns, this easy to grow fern has an arching, upright habit and grows to 3 to 4 feet.  It is distinguished by its blades that taper at the tip.  The shaggy fiddleheads have brown scales in spring.

11.  Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) – This evergreen fern is easy to grow.  The blue-green fronds are erect-arching and grow to 1½ to 2½ feet.   It’s a sturdy fern that’s highly recommended for cultivation.  It is a common fern in the woods northeastern North America. The sori are near the edges of the leaves.

12.  Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) – This vase-shaped fern is best in shaded locations with rich, moist soil.  This popular plant grows to 2 to 6 feet high and is native to river floodplains in Illinois.  Fiddleheads (emerging fronds) collected in spring are edible.

14.  Adder’s tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum) – This small fern (4 to 16 inches) is not hardy in the northern Midwest, but can be grown in moist soil as an annual (hardiness zone 7-9).  It is difficult to grow.

15.  Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) – This 2½ to 5 foot-long, erect native fern is very hardy and easy to grow.  It is named for the bright cinnamon-colored fertile fronds which die early in the summer.  This plant prefers moist, acidic soil.

16.  Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytonia) – This 2 to 4-foot tall native fern gets its name from the brown fertile leaflets, which "interrupt" the green sterile leaflets on the larger fronds. It does best in moist, acidic woods.

17.  Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) – This easy to grow, medium to large native fern grows well in moderate light in moist gardens.  The fronds are 2 to 5 feet long with smooth margins.  New growth is sometimes reddish or purple, but turns green with age, yellow in autumn, and brown in winter.

18.  Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) – The 1 to 2-foot long, arching, evergreen fronds of Christmas fern were used by early European settlers for Christmas decorations.  This North American native prefers moist soil, but survives in dry soil.  It is good for planting on slopes to prevent erosion.

19.  Japanese Holly Fern (Polystichum polyblepharum) – This fern has 1 to 2-foot long, arching, evergreen fronds.  The species name means many eyelashes because of scales on stipes and leaflets.  It’s easy to grow, native to Japan and Korea, and likes consistent moisture and shade.  Young fronds are yellow in spring.

20.  Marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris) - This fern is easy to grow in sun or shade with moist to wet soil.  The long, erect, deciduous blue-green fronds are 1½ to 2½ feet long.