I want to find some ferns

[Elmo]

Let me start this off with I’m not looking for anyone’s hotspots or honey holes. I’d like to get out to hopefully find some fossil fern plants. Are there any parks in central to southern Maryland that have the possibility to produce any results in that general area. I know that studying and finding unique areas are part of the hobby, but I’m kind of crunched for time. My girlfriend loves the outdoors and hiking through the woods to look at all the variety of plant life that it offers. She thinks that my fossil collecting is cool and interesting, but she just isn’t into the fossils that come from animals. I’d like to find her some fossils that she would enjoy for a Christmas present. It would be greatly appreciated if there’s anyone that point me to a place where I can find her the perfect gift. I’m even going to throw in a pretty please and drop to my knees to throw in a little begging. 

[ChasingGhostsYT]

There’s very very little Carboniferous ground in Maryland, so finding plants in your state, while not impossible, is gonna be challenging. If you’re determined to find them in Maryland travel to the west panhandle of the state above WV (Look up “Carboniferous ground in Maryland” and find the paleoportal result) However for a bit longer drive you can expand your results a ton. Pennsylvania has an immense amount of Coal beds with ferns, if you want to find a coal spot in PA, the wandering woodsman on YouTube shows off a few spots. He doesn’t outright give you the address, but he might as well.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Hint: Coal consists of the remains of ancient plants. Find coal = Find plants. That's pretty much all you need to know.

[Elmo]

12 hours ago, ChasingGhostsYT said:

There’s very very little Carboniferous ground in Maryland, so finding plants in your state, while not impossible, is gonna be challenging. If you’re determined to find them in Maryland travel to the west panhandle of the state above WV (Look up “Carboniferous ground in Maryland” and find the paleoportal result) However for a bit longer drive you can expand your results a ton. Pennsylvania has an immense amount of Coal beds with ferns, if you want to find a coal spot in PA, the wandering woodsman on YouTube shows off a few spots. He doesn’t outright give you the address, but he might as well.

Great information! I’m thinking that it’ll be better for me to make it up to PA then. My work is busy with the holidays( I manage a grocery store) and probably won’t have time to travel that far for the rest of the year, but what’s just 1 more year compared to all the years that they’ve been hiding. This year I’ll just buy her one and next year I’ll surprise her with some that I’ve found myself! Thank you very much for the response, it is a huge help. 
 

[Elmo]

4 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Hint: Coal consists of the remains of ancient plants. Find coal = Find plants. That's pretty much all you need to know.

I now remember learning where coal came from many moons ago when I was a young one and I’m now questioning my age because I didn’t remember it on my own. Thank you, it’ll make the hunt a lot easier. 

[Andúril Flame of the West]

Plant fossils are rather scarce in the Maryland area, especially ones of the quality you are likely seeking. Much of southern Maryland consists of Atlantic coastal plain sediments, which, by and large, are no younger than the Aptian/Albian and primarily originated from marine environments. From my understanding, other than the lignite that can be found in some of the marine sediments, the only plant-bearing units in the coastal plain are the Patuxent and Patapsco formations. Some quick searches on Google Scholar will reveal that these formations have the potential to yield well-preserved Cretaceous flora, but finding these exposures, particularly ones bearing well-preserved specimens, is no easy task. I am not very well versed in the fossiliferous formations of central Maryland, though I do know that portions of the Triassic Newark Supergroup extend through part of the region. Plant remains are known from these areas of the Newark (I can't comment on preservation) but they will not be easy to find. 

 

Your best bet for finding plants (particularly ferns) will be to visit the coal measures of West Virginia, westernmost Maryland, or Pennsylvania. Many ferns among other plant fossils can be found in the Pennsylvanian exposures of these states. 

 

Good luck on your search!

[Mark Kmiecik]

On 11/14/2023 at 7:43 PM, Elmo said:

Let me start this off with I’m not looking for anyone’s hotspots or honey holes. I’d like to get out to hopefully find some fossil fern plants. Are there any parks in central to southern Maryland that have the possibility to produce any results in that general area. I know that studying and finding unique areas are part of the hobby, but I’m kind of crunched for time. My girlfriend loves the outdoors and hiking through the woods to look at all the variety of plant life that it offers. She thinks that my fossil collecting is cool and interesting, but she just isn’t into the fossils that come from animals. I’d like to find her some fossils that she would enjoy for a Christmas present. It would be greatly appreciated if there’s anyone that point me to a place where I can find her the perfect gift. I’m even going to throw in a pretty please and drop to my knees to throw in a little begging. 

 

Check online for "Mazon Creek fossils". Beautiful and relatively inexpensive.

[Elmo]

On 11/16/2023 at 2:50 PM, Mark Kmiecik said:

 

Check online for "Mazon Creek fossils". Beautiful and relatively inexpensive.

Thank you for the link. I’m thinking I’m going to wait until I can find the time to personally hunt the perfect one for her( and a few million for me) so that it’s a bit more personal. It does look I’ll be able to find a few nice things to ad to a collection on the site though.