Blechnum sp.?

Love the black on the pale matrix, cool preservation 

1 hour ago, bockryan said:

Love the black on the pale matrix, cool preservation 

Thank you, the fossils from St. Bauzile are preserved in diatomaceous earth - hence the white and very soft rock.

8 minutes ago, oilshale said:

Thank you, the fossils from St. Bauzile are preserved in diatomaceous earth - hence the white and very soft rock.

Interesting, are they particularly fragile then? I am not very likely to make it to France anytime soon but if I do I'll hope to do some collecting, I've seen quite an array of plant sites but I assume very few of them are readily accessible 

On 2/6/2024 at 2:14 AM, bockryan said:

 

Interesting, are they particularly fragile then? ...

These fossils are quite delicate and yes, if you touch the slabs you might have white fingers afterwards. You can stabilize the fossils a little with highly diluted paraloid. However, Paraloid must be very diluted (2%?). Otherwise, the (too thick) layer of varnish may peel off by itself over time. Wood glue (Elmers) is not suitable - in my case, it led to greenish discoloration and did not penetrate deep enough. You could peel off the top layer like a film of varnish.