In this episode we take a look at the strange life-cycle of ferns and find out why they are so dependent on water. Nearly all familiar plants produce seeds, but the first plants to colonise the land did not. Ferns belong to an ancient group and continue to be successful, but they don't produce seeds and tend to be restricted to damp, shady places. We take a look at the strange life-cycle of ferns and find out why they are so dependent on water. We also take a look at germinating seeds and discover why it's so hard to tell young seedlings apart.