I bought two hanging ferns for our front porch just before Easter, but unfortunately I put them out a little early and a cold night got to them. I was taking them down to replace them when I found a bird nest with a single egg inside one.
So much for replacing that one, lol! I couldn't do that to the mama bird. I just had to do my best to nurse the fern until the egg hatched and ready to leave. For 4 more days, mama bird layed another egg each day.






We found that bird eggs take 2-3 weeks to hatch, so I carefully watered the brown wilted fern every day and waited with excitement. Finally, the big day arrived and all five baby birds hatched. They were ugly little things, but we enjoyed watching them grow and turn to fuzz balls and eventually to birds big enough to leave the nest.




Through it all, my pathetic fern has survived, and may even be begining to thrive!