A "ship" (fern) in a bottle

A couple of weeks ago, Caleb and I visited Mom and Dad.  There are always interesting things for a boy to do in the country, and Caleb and J. found some outdoor things to occupy them.  At one point, Caleb came in with an interesting item to share.  He had spotted an old Mt. Dew bottle lying on the ground in the woods.  He had set it up and shot it with his pellet gun and found it had a fern growing inside.  "A ship in a bottle!" he said.  It was interesting that it had happened.  I suppose rain had washed enough soil and/or organic matter into the bottle to support the fern's growth, and a spore had blown or floated in.
Later as we loaded up the car to leave, I moved a bag on the back seat.  "What's in here?  That BROKEN glass bottle??!!"
"It's just strategically opened," Caleb replied calmly.
So he brought it home, and it found a place amongst his other piles of junk.  I have been giving it a dribble of water from time to time, thinking I might transfer it to another jar.  The fronds are looking rather crisp, though, so I don't know if it has survived the low humidity of our house.  I will have to wait to see if it shows more signs of life.

It's amazing how life can thrive in unusual places if given the right conditions.