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Fossil Grove

Hidden in a Scotland museum is a copse of extinct tree stumps. 

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Discovered in 1887, Fossil Grove preserves the fossilized remains of eleven extinct trees of the Lepidodendron species within its building in Glasgow’s Victoria Park.

The tree stumps, which are more properly described as quillworts (a variety of fern), were discovered during a quarrying process and were dug out from the surrounding sandstone and shale. The ancient arbors originally grew 325 million years ago in the area and thanks to the extreme rarity of preserved prehistoric flora, the innocuous group of stony stumps is a major research site. In fact the building that surrounds the fossilized remains is classified as a museum.

Know Before You Go

Currently, the museum is only open on the weekends 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. from early April to mid October.

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August 19, 2012

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