Florissant insects.

[Top Trilo]

Nothing has been said in the Colorado section for almost a year now so lets kick it back up. A little over a week ago I posted some pictures of florissant stuff in the I.D. section. I got a lot of good help and then for the ones we couldn't figure out I tried searching for some that are similar but there's not many different photos online from florissant. I was wondering if anyone could help or if someone knew the florissant formation really well.

[brad2274]

Havent been but I'd love to hit up the florissant mine soon but i think they closed for the season already, they may open it for a day on request though if a couple of us wanted to go.

[yardrockpaleo]

I definitely know the Florissant Formation well! Funny story, when I came back with my box of finds, two separate sides of a neat beetle (pic attached) got separated. I was sorting through them later and I classified one side as a beetle and the other side as a minnow or guppy, I didn't notice they were one fossil until almost six months later! Also, my profile pic is a Golden Raintree Leaf (Koelreuteria Allenii) that we found up there. It's a beauty! I want to hear your thoughts on them.

[Top Trilo]

Wonderful fossils, please show a more zoomed in pic of the beetle

[piranha]

1 hour ago, yardrockpaleo said:

 Also, my profile pic is a Golden Raintree Leaf (Koelreuteria Allenii) that we found up there. It's a beauty! I want to hear your thoughts on them.

 

 

An important distinction: this is not a leaf, instead this is a capsular valve. One side of a three-sided fruit capsule.

Congrats on this great textbook specimen!

 

 

Meyer, H.W. 2003

The Fossils of Florissant.

Smithsonian Books, 258 pp.

[yardrockpaleo]

Oh yes, I can't believe I made that mistake. It's quite clear what it would have looked like in real life by looking at its relatives.

 

American Bladdernut, (very bottom) and modern golden raintree fruit (directly below) P.S. I will have the zoomed in pics shortly. 

 

[yardrockpaleo]

Ok, everyone, I've got the zoomed in pics. Can't you see how the less definite one looks a little like a tiny fish? I love to imagine what colors that beetle must have been. Too bad Florissant's only open in summer. Tell me your thoughts on this one!

[Top Trilo]

I dont believe its a positive and negative, they look like two different things to me but either way great finds