Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Your Neck of the Woods part 7 Galloping into Spring, 0 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
David--This will be a question to you---

Story first.....
The other warmish day--I was cutting back all kinds of dead foliage,
including my two large perennial ferns. Never did this so early--but it was
better now than later--or i would be stepping all over sprouting things in this bed.

The fern on the left (in this sbed) is the Autumn fern--this was established last year--
I even gave you a section of it. Trimmed all the dead leaves off of that too.
This fern also shows about 4 separate clumps. I need to, drfinitely, dig up the
one that is now encroaching on the bed. More to share....;o)

The other fern (NOID-so far) has also split up in about 4 different clumps.
One of them must be the original--as the root mass has risen a good 10" or so above ground.
In this mass , there are several "terminal" clumps which have the still-dormant
bumps which will grow into the new, fiddleleafs--stems-to-be.

My question is: What should I do with this above ground clump?

1--leave it alone?
2--Dig it up and re-bury it deeper? Would it root if i did that?
3--Dig the mass up and divide it in sections where each section would have
a cluster of "bumps"--leaves-to-be--on the top?
4--What is this mass made up of? Why has it grown up, and up like this?

Here are some pictures:

1--Looking at the bed (East side of house) and the area where this fern lives...
It is the one on the left. Looks like the one behind it is also raising up.

2--looking down on the mess--both of the clumps.

3--A close-up of the top--showing the bumps. There are, probably, 4 separate areas
that have these tops with the bumps on it--so--each one of these areas will
produce its own cluster of leaves. Right?
SO???--is there a way that these areas with their own "bumps" could be,
somehow excised and re-potted in their own spot--or Pot?

4--This is the fern in question (what kind is it???) in May of last year.

5--Here is the Autumn Fern on the other end of this small bed

That's it for Questions...Thanks--G.