A common lowland fern of forest edges, often on wet sites, occasionally seen at high elevations, such as at Frozen Lake, Deer Fern is an evergreen fern with two types of fronds. The sterile fronds are flattened and deeply divided. The fertile fronds are erect with widely spaced, narrow leaflets.

The fiddle heads unfold in mid-spring at Longmire where the fern is widely distributed.