A fiddlehead is the tightly coiled, young frond of a fern before it unfurls into a full leaf. The coil looks remarkably like the decorative scroll at the top of a violin (called the scroll or head), which is how these spring shoots got their name.

Fiddleheads appear in early spring, pushing up through the forest floor when the weather first warms. They're one of nature's most recognizable shapes: a perfect spiral that slowly unrolls as the fern grows. If you've ever seen the elegant curl at the end of a violin's neck, you'll immediately understand why someone named these curled fern shoots after it.

In parts of North America, particularly New England and eastern Canada, people forage for certain types of fiddleheads (especially from the ostrich fern) to eat as a seasonal delicacy. They taste somewhat like asparagus and must be cooked before eating. Foragers have only a brief window in spring to harvest them before the ferns uncurl and become too tough.

The spiral shape of a fiddlehead also shows up in art, architecture, and mathematics.