#lycopod

[mixotrophics]

lepidodendron fossils (root impressions,, the holes are vertical roots and the long shallow textured trough is a horizontal root)

There are lots of lycopods nearby, many herbariums have lycopod samples that go back centuries, with DNA that can be used in next gen sequencing …

I like to think the lycopods and the fossils are sitting there together like when you go to a graveyard and wonder if anyone there is a distant distant ancestor of yours

Basalt of an old volcano chamber and the conduit extending out of it. Similar to columnar basalt hexagon time but radial due to the round chamber !

Rough timeline:

Volcano is probably Devonian, most igneous rock here is,

Equatorial swamp in Carboniferous -> lepidodendron and extensive coal veins. Cool sedimentary rock too, with visible effects of tidal deposition,

From then on drift to higher latitudes. And other new places.

[melangle]

Phylloglossum drummondii A very unusual clubmoss

[earlypalaeoart]

“Plantes de la période silurienne” [Plants of the Silurian period] from La terre avant le déluge [The world before the deluge] by Louis Figuier, 1863

[thirrith]

the next six animals i get in stardew valley are going to be named after the geologic periods of the paleozoic era

[rhea4691]

Y'all it's National Fossil Day! To celebrate, I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite fossils I've had the luck of finding! This small piece is a section of the root of Lepidodendrales, an ancient tree-like plant which was common in the coal forming swamps of the American Midwest during the Carboniferous Period.

I found this one on a day trip to the abandoned strip mine near my dad's home in Indiana, the same place he used to hunt for fossils as a kid. While we had very little success in our search for concretions to crack open for fossils, this beauty was just sitting on the ground waiting to be picked up:)

[ogvxzurwsqi]

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[alithographica]

As promised, welcome to

Fun biology in TOTK’s designs

I'll keep this post updated as I go through the game. I'm going to skip the more general identifiable things like apples (they're based on apples!) because there are tons of more unusual species to talk about.

Overall, the really interesting thing I've noticed is that many of the more unique Earth-based lifeforms in TOTK are super ancient, like predating dinosaurs ancient, which is a really cool tie-in to the overall time-hopping plotline of TOTK. Specifically, they're found in the new areas (caves, depths) while the surface remains a bit more normal.

(There will be no plot spoilers in this post, and also I've barely gotten into the plot because I'm spending all my time wandering, so shhh no spoilers in the tags for like a month please.)

Most recent additions: More lilies, irises, wild ginger, spiny bones, pigeon extravaganza, plus added some more real photo comparisons to old stuff.

PLANTS

Bryophytes my beloved. Bryophytes are among the earliest land plants, waaaay predating flowers and even seeds. In our world, they’re small by necessity—they lack vascular systems to help move water around like other plants, so they have to stay small and moist (hence their frequency in caves in TOTK—though they do need some light in real life.)

In TOTK they’re quite large and I think that’s very sexy and art directors should give us big bryophytes more often

Anyway, there are three types of bryophytes: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. First image pair is a moss, second is a liverwort. Those red-brown and palm-tree-like structures, respectively, are their reproductive structures.

Real liverwort photo © Graham Calow, NatureSpotUK

Not yet spotted: Hornworts! Did they forget the third bryophyte sister :(

I think these next guys are probably lycopods (specifically club moss, which is not a true bryophyte moss, thanks science.) Very old, but vascular, so they're a bit more evolutionarily recent than bryophytes.

Real photo © Gloria Hanley Schoenholtz, virginiawildflowers

All the enormous curly-topped trees in the depths: Ferns! They curl like that until they unfurl. Another very old plant, though younger than bryophytes and lycopods.

Real photo via The Cosmonaut, Wikipedia

Brightblooms and some of the other giant plants in the depths: Possibly based on a cycad? Again, a very ancient plant lineage. At this point, evolutionarily, they've developed seeds—that giant cone in the center is called a strobilus, and that's the seed structure.

These next few plants are angiosperms, meaning they produce flowers. Angiosperms are a more recent evolutionary lineage—still many millions of years old, but it took a while to develop flowers as a reproductive tactic.

Sundelions (left) are a fun recolor of a lily. There are also some scenery lilies (right) in various places—there are yellow ones that spring up when you turn on a lightroot (which gives them literal and thematic connection to the surface) and several other varieties, including tiger lilies, throughout Hyrule. Fun note, the sundelions appear to only have 5 stamen, while other lilies in the game (correctly) have 6. Seems to be an intentional decision to make it a more distinct fantasy species.

These next ones are Peruvian lilies/Alstroemeria, just used as a scenery plant but a very fun inclusion. Fun fact, not true lilies, so they're not deadly to cats like true lilies are.

Real photo © Dick Culbert, Wikipedia

Plum trees: These are also called out as plum trees in game! There's a journal in Kakariko that refers to the plum orchards.

Okay I'm a little proud of figuring this one out. Bomb flowers blend a few botanical references. Superficially, the fruit resembles a type of seed pod called a capsule—specifically it's very similar to a poppy capsule. The little red thing in the center is a nice addition to resemble both a flower stigma (reproductive part that leads to the ovary) and a bomb fuse. Now, poppy capsules disperse their seeds via wind, but there are other plants who do explode their seeds outwards as a dispersal tactic! This is called explosive dehiscence.

There is one tree in particular called the sandbox tree, AKA monkey-no-climb or dynamite tree (yes, really.) Their capsules look more like little pumpkins, but are known for violently exploding when ripe—they can launch seeds at 150 miles per hour (250 km/h) and spread them roughly 200 feet (60 m) away. The photo comparison is a poppy capsule but you should def go look up dynamite tree videos.

Real photo © PommeGrenade, pixabay

Fire fruits (and the other elemental fruits) grow on the same generic plant that looks kind of like it has grape leaves. Fire fruits resemble a specific botanical thing too though—the black netting is a papery calyx (part of the flower) seen in a nightshade genus, Physalis (golden berries, tomatillos, etc.)

Real photo © Helene Rogers, Alamy

I think this stuff is an Asarum, AKA wild ginger. I was actually puzzling over it until I walked past some today and went HEY

Not sure of the exact species but they're very green and heart-shaped and love being dense and low to the ground.

Real photo via David Stang, Wikipedia

Irises: Love irises, one of my favorite flowers and words, very happy to see them in game.

MISCELLANEA

Cup lichen! Lichen is not a plant, but a symbiotic structure of an algae + a fungi. Cup lichen is just a type of lichen formation that has a kind of vertical cup-like structure.

Real photo via Bernard Spragg

Geology crossover! Go look carefully at some of the whiter walls in the depths—they look like they have fossils of coral and other undersea hard-structured animals in them.

ANIMALS

Sticky lizards: Based on Diplocaulus, a very early (now extinct) amphibian! Their skulls are wacky. We're not sure whether the long sides stood out separately or were smoothly connected to the body by skin flaps, but the separate arrow-like shape is the most popular rendition.

Deep firefly: Might be a stretch because it could just be a multi-winged fantasy critter, but I think the "wings" and antennae are very reminiscent of Anomalocaris, an ancient aquatic arthropod.

Update: Other folks in the notes/tags have pointed out that they're probably based on a cryptid that's especially popular in Japan: skyfish AKA rods! They show up in photos and people think they're an alien lifeform. In reality, they're an optical blur created when a lower quality video captures intermittent flaps of an insect's wings, leaving sort of a many-winged smear in the photo. Thanks to all who left info!

Little frox: Another stretch because it totally could just be a Hinox-like frog, but every time I see the little ones I can't help but think of like...Ichthyostega, Mastodonsaurus, Eryops, and other early amphibians. They were pretty hefty—little frox size or bigger—and had with little waddling legs. This is less "I think it's definitely this" and more "it makes me happy when I picture frox as primitive amphibians."

I haven't detailed many of the scenery animals around Hyrule because most are identifiable with the camera function—it'll tell you that a certain animal is a heron or porgy, for example, and those groups are real, even though the exact species is made up. But I think the pigeons are fun because they're all crested pigeons. Pink-necked green pigeons may have also been the inspiration for the color palettes on the wood and rainbow pigeons.

Both pigeon photos via JJ Harrison, Wikipedia

Spiny bones: Not a specific critter, but those spiny bones that you can find lying around Eldin Canyon are vertebrae—possibly from the same thing that left those big rib cages around? The top spike is the spinous process where muscles attach, the littler spikes on the side are the transverse and articular processes. The dark O in the center is the spinal cord.

Also I made a friend who finally recognizes my purpose in Hyrule.

That's all I've got for now! Will add more as I keep playing.

[crevicedwelling]

I like when lycopods and huperzias and such are called “fern allies.” like yeah it’s me and the clubmosses against this bitch of a world! just us and our spores

[thenon-floweringfairies]

Boom and Bust

The sun was wobbling fat and red just above the horizon. Sen had a soft landing in a tangle of Cullodena's herbaceous trimerophytes, hopping down from their springy stems and picking his way through the undergrowth. Whereas once the fort had dominated this whole space, now plants scrambled in such profusion that it couldn't even be seen from the ground.

There was someone, no, two someones, standing by the base of the trees that held up the communal space.

Sen slowed down. Short tresses, pointed crown, huge boots… Phonso was back.

"Good evening, Schuppenbaumer, looking for Nathair again?" queried Sen as he drew closer. He didn't know the man standing just behind Phonso. Of indeterminate age, with wings reminiscent of Simon's and tresses in a box braided style, he regarded the two of them wryly.

"If you must know, I just came over to meet with an old friend? Have you met? No? Very well, this is Gongsun, this is Wesley."

"A pleasure." Wesley gave a quick bob in response to Sen's bow.

"Hang on, you're…" the mechanisms of Sen's mind were whirring. "You're not Wesley Candock?"

"The very same." His smile grew at the recognition.

"Oh wow, I… I've dreamed of meeting you since forever! It really is a privilege!" Sen was vaguely aware he might come across as cloying, but any cautionary thoughts were drowned in his excitement.

"What a stroke of luck that you're here!" he continued. "I'm just back from a visit to Simon, he mentioned you'd made the crossing but I didn't expect we'd cross paths!"

"My limp-leaf brother, huh?" Wesley's smile stiffened and one eyebrow rose. "Don't waste your time with him, mate. Suffers from a critical lack of ambition, he does. At this rate he'll be stuck in that swamp forever, but me? I've got a vision to chase."

Sen's trail of speech faltered. Simon had seemed to bear his brother no animosity, but then again, he was always the forgiving type. Had something transpired between them?

Thinking he should change the topic, Sen asked, "So. Ahem. How long have you known Mr Schuppenbaumer?"

Phonso stepped in to answer. "We've been friends since the early Triassic!"

Ugh, thought Sen, exaggeration, but Wesley's smile brightened again as he clapped the lycopod fairy on the back.

"Yeah, Phonsy and I must have combed every inch of Epiphyllia, and with any luck, there'll be plenty of secrets to uncover here!"

"And I've been honing my skills, day in, day out." Phonso gave a demonstration, light magic springing to life in his hands like a pair of miniature suns. Wesley whooped in admiration.

A weird feeling was blossoming in Sen's chest. A bad and unfamiliar feeling, like the mycelia of a fungal parasite infiltrating his nervous system, except it wasn't growing into him, but out of him. It took him a minute to put a name to it. Envy.

Sen tried to think of some excuse to back out of this conversation, to go anywhere else. Before he could, Wesley addressed him.

"So how about it, Gongsun? Wanna join us sometime?"

Sen's focus snapped back to the conversation, his tongue feeling heavy as he tried to decide on an answer. He could see Phonso glaring daggers at him from behind Wesley, daring him to crash the party.

He was spared when something else caught the horsetail fairy's attention.

"Is it my imagination or… is someone there?"

Sen and Phonso swivelled around.

"Now that you mention it…" began Phonso, "I sometimes get the feeling I'm being watched when I come here." His usual bravado had diminished a tad.

Wesley took a curious step towards the darkest corner of the undergrowth. There was a twitch of movement and for a split second, they all saw the same thing; a pair of large eyes in the shadows, discreet yet intent. They were gone in a flash and a rustle of leaves. 

"Who was that?!" yelled Wesley, not waiting for an answer as he bolted after the runaway. Sen and Phonso exchanged a glance and followed.

Making a sharp corner at a hollow log, they nearly tripped over Si-woo, who was flat on his back with another fairy on top of him. A perplexed Askarya observed from a few paces back.

The fairy atop Si-woo sat up slowly, wide eyes looking from one face to the next. Between an ornate mask and long robes, not much else could be seen of them. All were silent for a moment.

"Guys, you scared them," tutted Askarya, breaking the spell and helping the small figure to their feet.

"Um. Ok. Who's them?" Wesley voiced what was on all their minds.

"This is Noori," replied Askarya. "And you should all be grateful for the work they do, I don't know a single fairy who remineralises so much detritus."

"Well, good to meet you, Noori," ventured Sen. Noori returned his bow without saying a word.

As Askarya introduced them to the rest of the group, Sen tried to figure out where Noori's limbs were. It with difficult with their frame completely obscured by their robes, but Sen found their movement intriguing. They seemed to glide across the ground rather than walking, which was especially strange as, like all fungus fairies, they had no hint of wings.

Sen shrugged and leaned against Si-woo.

"Hey rénxiōng. It's getting late. I'll sleep here tonight, what's your plan?"

"Yeah, I'll join you. Night all."

Phonso waved an offhand goodbye, then returned his attention to Wesley as he too made to leave.

The two friends fluttered into the quiet recesses of the fort. It was open and airy, warm and dry. Compared to the early days when they'd slept in a pile on the floor, it had become very comfortable, with silk, straw and twine hammocks strung from the rafters, while feather and moss mattresses lay below for those who didn't fly.

It was quiet, with few occupants around. Over the years, accessory rooms and levels had been built, housing everything from Nathair's growing library to Jess's frock collection. Live vines and stems grew through the construction, replacing dead branches as they rotted away and turning it into a growing, ever-changing structure. More than a structure in fact, but a living thing in its own right, and for many of them, a home.

Sen and Si-woo looked out through the slats towards the horizon. The sun had just vanished, leaving the sky burnished rose and copper. Heavy clouds were building closer to the ground, threatening storms. Sen pointed to them.

"I don't like the look of those. Hope the river doesn't sweep away all of Simon's hard work."

"The look of what, sorry?" queried Si-woo, surprising Sen. He was normally the first to spot rain.

"Those clouds!"

"There's no clouds there." Si-woo rubbed his eyes. "Oh, so there are. Strange. Usually they come from the seaward side."

"I know," responded Sen, hesitant. "And these look like… they're rising off the ground."

An uneasy feeling hovered between them.

"There's a telescope in the admiral's room," suggested Si-woo. They raced there right away. Sen rapped the door.

"Admi- I mean, Sirichai?"

No answer. They pushed in, sorting as respectfully through his belongings as they could, then rushing back with the telescope in hand. Si-woo shakily put it to his eye & adjusted it.

"What do you see?" Sen felt like he didn't want to know the answer.

"Oh Souls. Oh FUCK this is bad!"

Si-woo looked to his friend and spoke a single word.

"Locusts."

---

"Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm, what are you waiting for?!!"

Si-woo scampered up and down the fort at breakneck pace, half climbing, half flying, banging Glen's pots and ladles together. Cullodena emerged from her quarters, looking furious, but her expression softened when she saw the fear in Si-woo's eyes.

"Byun, dearie, whatever's the matter?"

"Locust swarm, headed this way," he gasped. "Round up everyone you can find!"

Sen stood in the crown of the fort's tallest tree, telescope trained on the dark mass with shaking hands. A lichen-covered head emerged through the foliage.

"Nobody gonna tell me what all the fuss is about?"

"Askarya!" Sen blushed and fumbled the spyglass, embarrassed that he'd forgotten all about them in the confusion.

"See for yourself."

They trained the eyepiece on the horizon and scowled.

"That's not good. What's the plan?"

Si-woo fluttered up beside them, followed by everyone else present; Cullodena, Nathair, Glen, Jake, Kai, Elei and, to Sen's surprise, Noori.

"Well me old chum, I'm glad you asked," cut in Nathair. "Our goal is to stop that swarm settling on our fair demesne."

Askarya smiled despite the encroaching threat, amused that he could still be so loquacious in a crisis.

"Nathair, give it to us straight. Are we screwed?" asked Sen.

The fern fairy folded his arms. "Locust swarms don't fly by night. That means they'll be looking for a stopoff as it gets dark. Wherever they land, they'll strip it clean of greenery by morning. That's what we stand to lose."

The others shifted uneasily. From one perspective, it would be easier just to abandon the fort and rebuild once the plague had moved on. But no one voiced this. That option meant abandoning years of work, all the investment of time and energy that had gone into this place, not to mention the likely destruction of every treasured possession they stored inside. It was common knowledge that Nathair would lay down his own life if it meant preserving his library.

"Well, we're burning daylight," prompted Sen. The others switched their attention to him, faces resolute. "Jake, Kai, Elei, you'll be our first line of defence."

Kai cracked his knuckles.

"Glen, Askarya, reinforce the fort however you can. Nathair and Cullodena, you'll help us coordinate." He handed Nathair the spyglass. "And Si-woo and I will be in the air to deal with locusts that get through the outer defence."

The group nodded and quickly dispersed to their positions, Sen waiting to make sure all vulnerable points were covered.

Noori walked over to Sen and looked him in the eye.

"Oh. Sorry Noori, I… ahem, if you want to help, that's great! What kind of magic do you have?"

Noori opened one fist and revealed a sprig of moss. A dingy, stifling aura slowly leached out from Noori's shrouded silhouette. The little moss sprig withered and died.

Sen felt like a lead weight had dropped into his stomach. His breathing hitched and he forced himself not to step backwards.

"R-r-rot magic? That's-"

He swallowed.

"Hold on. That's precisely what we need right now!"

Sen looked over his shoulder. The swarm was less than a kilometre away.

"Noori, will that work on animals?"

The fungus fairy nodded once.

"Oh holy souls, superb. And can you, er, direct it? So that it won’t catch plants in the collateral?"

Noori wavered, then gave an unconvincing thumbs-up.

"Er. Alright. Whatever, it's our best option. Si-woo!"

Si-woo dived to meet Sen.

"What's up?"

"I need you to carry Noori."

Si-woo blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Noori's got amazing rot magic, I think it could take out half the swarm if we time it right. I need you to get them to the centre of it!"

"No way, no way, you're out of your mind," muttered Si-woo, pacing. "You want me to carry a disease causing fungus - no offence - into a plague of leaf stripping bugs on my own?!"

"Well, when you put it like that…" Sen sighed.

"Who's doing what on their own?" Kai alighted alongside them, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"Perfect, now he won't have to!" Sen exclaimed. "Kai, Si-woo's going into the swarm. Keep him safe."

Kai happily agreed, while Si-woo spluttered in indignation.

"Don't just go along with him like that! And Sen, may I ask why you're not the one carrying Noori?"

Sen froze, face turning green in embarrassment.

"Well… you're a much better flyer than me. And my magic will be little use out there. And- and I'm scared."

Si-woo's expression softened, just a tad. "I know. But what makes you think I'm not?"

Sen didn’t know how to respond. After a pause, he simply went with, “I’m sorry.” Clearing his throat, he continued, “I’m trying to do what has to be done to protect everything we’ve worked for. But a good leader leads by example. You’re right, really I should be the one going out there.”

He took a deep breath and turned to Noori. “You ready?”

The little fungus fairy nodded.

“Alright,” replied Sen, trying to stop his hands shaking. “Hop on.”

Kai pressed his hands to a cycad leaf, drawing in magical vivacity while Noori clambered self-consciously onto Sen’s back.

“Let’s go.”

The three of them dropped from the branch and veered out from the dense stand of trees, into the evening air that was all that lay between them and the storm. At that moment, a voice rang out behind them.

“Dang and blast it, wait for me!”

Si-woo had caught up with them in an instant, his wings flowing like banners. He caught sight of Sen’s knowing smile.

“Well, after all that talk about leading from the front, I could hardly just sit back and watch. You’ll stand a better chance with two pairs of eyes on you.”

“I couldn’t ask for more, Si-woo.”

---

Nathair watched the thrumming storm of wings grow until it blotted out the horizon. His fingers clenched, trying not to let the spyglass slip from his sweaty grasp. Beside him, his mother called something down to Elei, who answered in the affirmative as she geared up for battle. In the distance, the little shapes of Sen, Si-woo, Kai and Noori looked as though they were to be swallowed up without a trace.

---

Sen briefly took his eyes off the wall of jointed legs and compound eyes ahead, looking into Noori's eyes. Up to this point, their composure hadn't faltered, but he saw terror in their eyes.

"Hey, Noori, look at me. It'll be ok, you hear me? We'll get through this. I promise I won't let you fall."

Noori shifted nervously, inhaled deeply and sat up a bit straighter, their mood settling.

"That's the spirit." They were so close that the sound of chitinous wings and hungry mouthparts nearly drowned out Sen's voice.

"Alright, this is it! You ready? Kai, Si-woo? Got your magic ready, Noori? Yeah? Let's go!"

All at once, the swarm surrounded them. Locusts rushed by on all sides and from directly ahead. Kai reacted in a flash, swift strikes of his toughened limbs and wings sending orthopterans raining from the sky, keeping the path clear for the others.

"Now?" Shouted Si-woo.

"Wait until we're at the densest point!", answered Sen. "Our friends will take care of the rest!"

Si-woo gave a grim nod and fell in line beside Kai, calling up his water magic to create a shield of droplets that deflected the ravening grasshoppers around the quartet.

"Noori, it's up to you now. I'll give you as much help as I can."

Sen focused, grateful that for the moment, he didn't have to swerve around locusts as he did so. Breathing deeply in and clasping his hands as his wings powered onwards, he drew on a flow of inter-promoting and overacting magic. It was an atypical combination, but it would allow Noori's magic to feed off the energy Sen provided. It wasn't without risk, as if Noori overstepped their boundaries they could begin draining Sen's life force directly, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Noori locked themself in place with their legs, raising their arms with robes trailing. Flakes began to crumble and spill from their skin, a grey pallour extending all around. Sen nervously took a deep breath as the spores surrounded him, but they appeared to do no damage. The locusts weren't so lucky.

The moment the ashen dust touched them, the insects went into disarray, legs jerking and bodies spasmodically careening into each other. With every collision in the densely packed cloud of wings, another plume of spores went up, enveloping the sky in a grim haze.

"Will that be enough?" Sen shouted to Noori, who shook their head and pointed upwind. Sen nodded and flew on, to where the first spores had difficulty reaching. The locusts were beginning to disperse, flying in chaotic patterns as they avoided the cloud of death, and making it hard to get a good shot in. Noori took their best shot, sprinkling the infectious powder over another portion of the hungering plague, but it was clear that they weren't catching all of them.

Kai and Si-woo closed in on their location.

"Too many are getting through! Fort'll be overwhelmed!", hollered Kai.

"I know! Blast and damn it, we should have had a plan in reserve!"

"Guys, why is the moon rising on the opposite side to normal?" Si-woo chimed in.

"Now's really not the time-", Sen began, but trailed off as the ball of yellow light in the distance rapidly grew in size and intensity.

"Pretty sure that ain't the moon," observed Kai.

Something about the light was familiar, and Sen felt a twinge of premonition in his gut.

"I think we should shield our eyes."

Kai shrugged. "Hey, it's not that bright, it might help us corral those bugs more easi-"

"Cover them!", snapped Sen.

The light exploded.

Beams as piercing as the noonday sun burst forth, bathing the landscape with saturated shadows and cold fire. There was no noise, no heat, just a white glow that granted Sen the chance to get a look at the back of his own eyelids.

As quickly as it had arrived, the light blinked out, leaving nothing but its technicolor afterglow across their vision. Sen slowly got his bearings, wings continuing to beat on instinct as he turned in midair. Noori was still on his back, Si-woo still beside him. Kai was gone.

[flameinstitutechandigarh]

According to available fossil records which of the following were the first land vascular plant

According to available fossil records which of the following were the first land vascular plant

(a)  Psilophytales                     (b)  Lycopods (c)   Horse-tail                           (d)  Cycas Ans. a

[cedar-glade]

Every year, I check up on this round stemmed tree moss  Dendrolycopodium hickeyi, individual to see if I can spot any new growth on the cliffside matt. This is similar to flat stemmed rare club moss in many ways outside of it’s rounded vs flat basal stem.  Dendrolycopodium obscurum and Dendrolycopodium hickeyi are both split from the same complex and usually associated with transient burn ridge pine communities(seral(intermediate secondary) succession) or semi permanent ericaceous burn ridge communities thriving on the duff mat and functionally existing due to pine duff associated mycorrhizal symbiosis. Many grape ferns can also be associated with symbiosis in separate habitats and the association and presence of one(the fern) means the other has to be present. These two tree like species feature one strobilus per strobilusphore(the thing that holds the strobilus) Where as running ground cedar(associated heavily with juniper woodland in alkaline context and majority seral succession(but obviously not limited to that))  Diphasiastrum digitatum, has 4 strobili(plural) per strobilusphore; and as the name suggests, it is stoloniferous and runs creating a darn tootin’ dense mat. 

[melangle]

DALL·E 2022-09-18 21.02.09 - A photorealistic render of a Carboniferous lycopod forest with a few small cycads. Cycads are covered in mosses, a few small ferns litter the ground,

[isthisabiology]

Hello,

Today I am going to talk a little bit about fossils! Mostly those found in Kentucky from the Mississippian (360-325 million years ago) and Pennsylvanian (325-290 mya) period of the Paleozoic era.

I'll start with the Pennsylvanian period, since I have the least variety of fossils from that period. The Pennsylvanian period (in this region) was characterized by swampland, and was full of huge lycopods.

The most common fossils from this period are from lycopod trees! The top two pictures are the fossilized remains of roots, and the little spots on them are attachment points for rootlets (called stigmaria.) Lycopod trees grew to enormous sizes, and you can sometimes find the roots in foot-long chunks.

The last image is part of the trunk and root of one of the trees. (It is not mine, sadly. It's on display at a local wildlife area.) It is a massive hunk of rock, and finding one would be a dream come true! I think that this is a Sigillaria, but I don't have much experience with identifying them. I could be wrong, so if anyone reading this is more experienced, feel free to chime in! :)

During the

Missippian period

this area was covered in shallow ocean and, ho buddy, you wanna talk about fossils, you can study fossils all day here. There is an extraordinary amount of both quantity and variety of fossils. In some places, the rocks look like this:

This is a bit of an extreme example, most rocks don't have this many fossils... but a lot of them do!

One of the most common fossil from this period are the little discs that you can see scattered around the rock above. Those are the stems of aquatic animals called Crinoids. You can also find their tops, but these are much less common.

The first picture is of a more complete piece of a crinoid stem, and the second is a piece of the crown. There are actually some species of crinoids alive today! The ones with stalks are called 'sea lillies,' which look super cool!

These guys are horn corals! Most of them are just a few inches long, but a few have been found that are close to a meter long. The longer ones are generally found in strata from the Denovian period. (360-410 mya)

And we've hit the image limit, but I couldn't have a fossil post about Kentucky without brachiopods! I actually probably should have started with these, since they are the state fossil! My grandparents have tons on them in a creek by their house, so these have been part of my life for about as long as I can remember. (And for anyone who is curious, you can tell a brachiopod from a clam by their shell. Clams have mirrored-imaged shells, while brachiopods have that wacky little curve you can see in the first image.)

Thanks for reading, I hope you found this informative and interesting! If you want more information about fossils in Kentucky, you can learn more here:

I will probably probably make another fossil post at some point, so stay tuned!

[cameronbrideoake-blog]

Australian paleobotany challenge day 10/30 - Cylomeia, a scaley skinned lycopod, appearing in the early Triassic period around 250 million years ago.

[platycryptus]

people often see these evergreen plants on the forest floor and assume that they’re seedlings of some sort of coniferous tree. They’re actually neat little primitive called clubmosses or lycopodia (left to right: Dendrolycopodium sp., Diphastriasum digitatum, Huperzia lucidula)

(more riveting clubmoss trivia below!)

Clubmosses are closely related to and resemble miniature versions of the giant Lepidodendron scale trees that dominated the swamp forests of the Carboniferous roughly 360-200 million years ago, which were home to giant arthropods and amphibians prior to the evolution of reptiles and are responsible for today’s coal deposits due to the huge volume of organic matter that was deposited.

Today’s clubmosses and related plants like spikemosses and quillworts are small, slow-growing plants that live in the shadow of conifers and flowering plants. In the past, they have been overharvested in places for decorative purposes and to use their tiny, highly flammable spores as flash powder.

Clubmosses now protected in some regions because they grow so slowly and do not recover from overharvesting easily. They have a complex lifecycle similar to that of ferns, where the spores released by the mature plants (sporophytes) develop into a gametophyte stage that produces the gametes that mature into new sporophytes. In clubmosses the gametophytes are typically subterranean and non-photosynthetic, subsisting entirely on nutrients acquired by symbiotic fungi. The gametophytes can lie dormant for up to 15 years before producing gametes, hence why clubmosses don’t take well to collection and are only found in old, undisturbed woodlands and bogs.

[paleoplant]

Three species of club-moss in one day. Life.is.good. #clubmoss #lycopod #lycopodium #huperzia #huperzialucidula #diphasiastrum #lycopodiumobscurum #lycopodiumannotinum https://www.instagram.com/p/B2u2KKTgLDx/?igshid=af2jbv2yooeh