Adiantum capillus-veneris

A small fern 18 inches high that grows in moist shade or north slope, throughout most of California and the U.S. Maidenhair will go summer dormant if allowed to dry out. It's deer proof. Native to MANY plant COMMUNITIES, mostly in the southern part of the state, rare on deserts. This fern is never very visible in the wild as it is always hidden behind something else. In a yard it tries to do the same thing. It is the most effective in a north facing rock wall or under an overhang where there is nothing to hide behind.