Changes Within Habitats
Within a few steps is the transition from a dry meadow into a cooler forest of Douglas-fir, spruce, and common juniper. The moisture content is higher here. Though you're looking south, you are standing on a north-facing slope. North-facing slopes receive less sunlight throughout the year than south-facing slopes. This results in differences in plant and animal communities.
[Background photo caption reads] Douglas fir cones
The Fossil Record
Fossil evidence shows that there were microhabitats within the ancient ecosystem that existed here 34 million years ago. Cattails lived in or near water. Redwood trees likely grew in groves along the valley bottoms. Shrubby species of oak and mountain mahogany probably grew on higher and drier slopes and ridges. The highest elevations in the surrounding mountains were inhabited by fir, spruce, pine, and hemlock.
[Fossil photo captions, top to bottom, read]
Cattail
Redwood
Oak
Fir pollen
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment
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Location. 38° 54.809′ N, 105° 17.252′ W. Marker is near Florissant, Colorado, in Teller County. Marker is along the Ponderosa Loop Trail at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15807 County Road 1, Florissant CO 80816, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Role of Fire (within shouting distance of this marker); Life Zones (within shouting distance of this marker); Delicate Impressions (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Valley Through Time (about 300 feet away); Florissant Valley Today (about 300 feet away); Layers of Time (about 300 feet away); Just One Piece at a Time (about 300 feet away); Dawn of the Recent Past (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Florissant.
Also see . . .
1. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. National Park Service entry (Submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Eocene Florissant. National Park Service: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado entry (Submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 69 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
