Yep, Bracken. I always start with 'Ferns of the Northeastern United States" by Farida Wiley, which is a little field guide with drawings. It was first published in 1936, and I'm sure thre are books out there now with nice photos, but this one is very compete for the northeast, has a key, and is small so it's easy to carry around. It's a Dover book so you can probably get it online. Also, the Connecticut Botanical Society has a nice section on ferns on their website; they're probably close enough to Vermont to be useful to you. WW Here is a link that might be useful: CBC Fern Site

I agree with fatamorgana: I don't want to cut it down if that's not what it is. I took a few more pics to see if it helps. Fata, you are right about it being more than one plant. There are three. Here is a pic of the three "trunks." Here is a picture of some new growth on the medium-sized one. Here is one "frond/branch" in almost its entirety. And this picture shows where the "fronds/branches" attach to the main stem or trunk.

That is a pretty one. I have purchased ferns though the years and all but a couple didn't last. The ones I have are tough but I don't know their names. I would go for it and keep trying them. Ferns like anything else can look good in the spring and then have an ugly time. You might have to deal with that. Maidenhair in my experience wants a spring or really ferny mossy conditions which I don't have in my yard.

Can you take a photo showing the base of a frond or fronds. It might be Lady Fern, but can't tell until I see the shape of an entire frond.