Sensitive fern is plenty hardy. It will recover. Some people find it too aggressive even.

The "sensitive" name refers to it being nipped by the first frost whereas other native ferns can handle a frost or two before going dormant for the winter.

Yay! Thanks, esh! I have a tough guy fern! :)))

No kidding, this stuff is really tough. Our entire bed of it was (deliberately) dug up by a backhoe and buried, only to send its fronds up this spring from deep down under, upside down, sideways, you name it. So I wrenched it out and tossed it into the woodland portion of my side yard and guess what? It finished sending up its fronds and is positively ferny. And fronds are still popping up from the area of burial because there are teeny tiny pieces of it still buried in there. I will be digging them out forever, but you can rest assured, these guys are survivors!