Tempskya Fern
 
This Utah Tempskya Fern fossil has the detailed replacement of the bark and vascular bundles that carried nutrients in the original giant fern plants. Tempskya Fern is occasionally found in a few locations in Utah and Idaho. This one was found in Emery County, Utah. These are just less than 100 million years old and that puts them right in the heart of the reign of the dinosaurs. The surface is not polished but rather just sanded to a smooth gloss finish. I think that's more appropriate for a fossil like this.
 
I also discuss Tempskya Fern in one of the "My Dad's Fossils" essays (the link is below). The section on Tempskya Ferns is at the very bottom. Unlike modern ferns -- which only grow to a maximum of three or four feet high because they don't have the strength of wood, Tempskya Ferns could reach a height of 15 feet. The reason is in the "bark".
 
My Dad's Fossils -- Part I
 
One of the pictures for this listing is a string of Tempskya Fern beads. There's a story there too. See:
 
The Definition of Old Stock
 
Usually, I can only locate a small amount of reliable scientific information about rocks but a lot of people advertising them for sale. The exact opposite is true with this rock. There are a lot of scientific papers but few people offering any for sale. Do a search and you'll see what I mean.
 
The prices were all over the place. At the high end was a larger piece from the estate of a scientist offered for just less than $1,000. (I think he was crazy to price it that high, however.) I like to send my dad's rocks to regular folks so I like to price them so that regular folks can afford them. I've value priced this piece for just $45.