The landscape company that did the heavy lifting for my Northwest Native edibles backyard provided and planted three ladyferns at my request. I've no expertise; just picked that plant to align with the theme with never a thought of actually harvesting and eating the fiddleheads. This year, a close friend who is a formidable gardener disclaimed them as ladyferns because the fiddleheads were a rusty brown color, not green "like asparagus." I never noticed their color in prior years: perhaps they were green, but perhaps not. It's been unusually rainy this year: could that be causing the rusty color?

My friend is pretty knowledgeable, but not infallible. Anybody out there want to weigh in on what I've got here? I'll take closeup pics if you'll tell me what to look for.

PTL