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It was a beautiful, warm (almost 50 degrees!), sunny Halloween day in Minnesota when Kris and I went fossil hunting together. I took her to the BEST gastropod site in Minnesota! She loves the snails too. :-D Age is Ordovician and we were in the Stewartville member of the Galena Formation for both sites collected. Kris at site one pointing to gastropods stuck in the rock. Hormatomas stuck in the rock. We didn't go a 1,000 yards and her pail and my backpack were full of great finds. And I got these pics of those we could not take. Maclurites reverse cast. Imprint of a cephalopod. I took her to one of my favorite spots to just hunt in peace and quiet. So many fossils trapped in the bedrock! This site never ceases to put me in awe of how the earth has changed through the millennia. A shame I didn't take more pictures, but I had not planned on posting the hunt. But @minnbuckeye inspired me to do so with his "Last Hunt of the Year". :-) My haul, and Kris had a more impressive collection that I didn't get a pic of. I had just gotten a stunning calcite lamp from Niagara Cave - my favorite place to buy non-local fossils and rocks! :-D - and put my finds around it on the kitchen table. They are still there and the lamp is a gorgeous night/accent light in my kitchen. I hope you enjoyed this "postcard" from southeastern Minnesota, the northern tip of the Great Driftless Area on the North American continent. :-D

Ordovician Stewartville member of the Galena Formation Southeast Minnesota, USA Yes, I know, there are no plants in the Ordovician! But doesn't this LOOK like a plant??? I was out hunting yesterday in the drizzle and found this rock. It had a pretty pattern, I didn't think much of it as it was probably just how the rock split and maybe minerals or dendrite or some such, but I liked the pattern so I brought it home. Upon closer examination it took to looking like a fan shaped plant, the side view seems to show a stem. All probably my imagination! LOL :-D But it does not hurt to ask if anyone has seen something like this before in the Ordo, right? Part of my love of fossil hunting is learning new things! :-D Overview Close up dry Close up dampened slightly for clarity "Stem" portion You guys always want to see the back of the rock... :-) Side of rock So, how crazy am I? LOL :-D

This fossil was collected in Ordovician limestone in southeast Minnesota, USA. Any possible ID suggestions would be appreciated.