Ellison Bay in Door County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Remnants of Ancient Forests
Photographed by Sean Flynn, January 1, 2024
1. Remnants of Ancient Forests Marker
Lycopods are prehistoric plants of this forest. Their origin reveals the rich history of the land.
Discover landscapes of the past. Imagine forests of the future.
Paleozoic Era
Silurian
Lycopods Take Root on Land
443-416 Million Years Ago
A shallow tropical sea filled with life stretches for thousands of miles along both sides of the equator.
Lycopods are the first vascular plants to emerge from the sea and plant their roots on shore, spreading to all corners of the earth.
Plants turn the land green, form the first soils, increase oxygen in the atmosphere and prepare the way for animal life.
Devonian
Forests Shape the Landscape
416-359 Million Years Ago
The seas recede. The first ferns and seed plants appear.
Lycopods are larger with strong stems to support branches and leaves.
Forests thrive in the absence of plant eating animals.
Carboniferous
Swamp Forests Flourish
359-299 Million Years Ago
Lycopods grow to heights of 130 feet with trunks 6 feet in diameter.
They dominate the landscape for 40 million years.
Compressed remains of lycopods are the vast coal deposits of today.
Permian
Modern Trees Appear
299-251 Million Years Ago
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this page online
Swamp forests dry up as the climate becomes arid and cool.
Most lycopods die out. The few that remain are smaller and shrub like.
Mesozoic Era
Persistence and Adaptation
250 Million Years Pass
Lycopods survive the great mass extinction.
Lycopods are present during the rise and demise of the dinosaurs, the emergence of flowering plants and the expansion of mammals.
They endure the ice age and the dominance of man.
Humanity's Great Influence
2.6 Million Years Ago to Present
Today, lycopods are commonly called clubmoss. At only a few inches tall they are often mistaken for pine tree seedlings.
Landscapes continue to change. But at no other time in history, have humans altered the land with such speed and force.
Find a forest, conserve it, and work to keep it wild.
"The fate of the forest and the fate of ourselves are one and the same."
Tim Palmer, Trees and Forests of America
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry • Paleontology • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 45° 14.349′ N,
Photographed by Sean Flynn, January 1, 2024
2. Remnants of Ancient Forests Marker, along the Europe Bay Trail at Newport State Park
Regionally, this marker is on Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Newport Historic Waterfront (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Village of Newport (about 800 feet away); Welcome to Newport (approx. 0.2 miles away); Preserving Our Dark Sky Heritage (approx. 0.2 miles away); This Forest / Out of Wilderness Into Wilderness (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Hotz Estate (approx. 0.7 miles away); Pilot Island Site (approx. 3.6 miles away); Town of Liberty Grove (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ellison Bay.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 243 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 2, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on January 3, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
