Dryopteris erythrorosa Copper Shield Fern 5LOne of the joys of spring is the unfurling of fern shoots and the Copper Shield Fern, Dryopteris erythrorosa, is exemplary. The young shoots (croziers) unspiral from the central growing rosette, opening into large, elegant fronds, arranged to form a giant shuttlecock. Lacy and elegant, these ferns are coppery in shade when young then become a lush green.