Ponderosa Loop Trail temporarily closed

The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | July 22, 2007

The Ponderosa Loop Trail will be temporarily closed for repairs, beginning Monday, July 23. Repairs should take about a week.

Species Spotlight: Northern Flicker

The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | July 21, 2007

The northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) is one of the most commonly-seen members of the woodpecker family in Colorado. Flickers are unmistakable, with their large size (12-14 inches tall) and dramatic coloration, and they are the only woodpecker that regularly feeds on the ground.

Junior Ranger Program News

The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | July 18, 2007

This summer, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument will hold Junior Ranger Day on July 21. Kids can come learn about fossils, geology, animals, and wildflowers with the rangers! All ages welcome. The park’s Junior Ranger Program is now free.

Species Spotlight: Florissantia speirii

The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | July 10, 2007

The “Florissant flower,” Florissantia speirii, is another iconic fossil from the Florissant Formation. Although more common in the Green River Formation and elsewhere, F. speirii was first described here at the fossil beds.

Online paleontology database launched by CU Museum

The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. | July 9, 2007

The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History’s Invertebrate Paleontology and Paleobotany collections are now searchable online at CU Museum Paleontology Invertebrate and Plant Database.