Nobody: I ate leaves as a kid because the tree stars from Land Before Time looked so delicious. Yep yep yep! Although this one may be a little tough to chew. Anything is fossible! (Don’t eat fossils.) The “Florissant flower,” Florissantia speirii, is another iconic fossil from the Florissant Formation in Colorado. Although more common in the Green River Formation and elsewhere, F. speirii was first described at the @florissantnps. The species, found in the Eocene to Oligocene of western North America, is tentatively placed in the Sterculiaceae, the family which includes cocoa (‘Mmm, chocolate), kola nuts, and tropical mahoganies. Features of the flower suggest that it was pollinated by insects or birds, and its fruits were probably (whispering) wind-dispersed. On October 11, we’ll celebrate the 14th Anniversary of #NationalFossilDay! Join paleontologists, educators, and students in fossil-related events and activities across the country in parks, classrooms, and online. Image: C...