October 2026 • Nebraskaland 47
The beauty of the understory
cannot be appreciated from a car
or overlook. It must be experienced
on foot, walking slowly with
eyes alert.
ABOVE: Maidenhair fern is common at Indian Cave State Park,
where it forms dense colonies in damp, shaded woodlands.
Its name comes from its slender, shiny black stems, which
supposedly resemble a maiden's hair.
TOP LEFT: Horse gentian, not a true gentian, is an uncommon
wildflower of far eastern Nebraska woodlands. Its berries occur
in small clusters in the leaf axils in early fall. During wartime
shortages, the berries were dried, roasted and brewed as a bitter
coffee substitute.
BOTTOM LEFT: The ripe, fleshy seeds of blackberry lily. Native
to eastern Asia and often planted as an ornamental, the plant
belongs to the iris family but has large, orange, lily-like flowers.
Plants in Indian Cave woodlands likely escaped from plantings
around old farmsteads that once occurred here.
Coralberry is a short shrub growing in southeastern Nebraska
woodlands and pastures. Its beautiful red berries ripen in late
summer and early fall. They persist on plants well into winter and
are eaten by many bird species.
