John Day Fossil Beds / Fossil Leaf
Return to Main Menu Previous Home Next

Fossil Leaf

Leaf Hill's environment today is much different. Seasonal temperature extremes are broad with a cooler climate on average. The lower elevations of the near-desert environment (12-15 inches of rain per year) consist of shrub-steppe and savanna vegetation dominated by grasses, sagebrush, and juniper. The wetter, high elevations of the surrounding mountains support coniferous forests with ponderosa pine, Douglas and grand fir.

Here, Carol holds a fossil of a leaf found at Fossil Hill.

07-Fossil Leaf