Fields, open forests, and forest edges, especially in sandy or loamy soils. Less commonly on boulders and rock outcrops.

This is the only spleenwort that is frequent, at least in southern Michigan, and can form large colonies in old fields and open, successional woodland, especially on sandy soils. It is also the only one that usually occurs on soil rather than rock, though occasionally found on both calcareous and acidic rocks.

Wagner & Johnson (1981) noted that in the 1950’s this was one of the rarest of Michigan ferns, but that it has increased dramatically in the last few decades to become a common old field species in southern Michigan.