So… it’s Boxing Day that I'm writing this, and somewhere out there, someone (naming no names) has already taken the Christmas tree down, wrapped the lights back into a tangled knot, and banished the whole thing to the attic until next year.
But here’s a festive fossil thought for you, the kind of trees we all love hanging multicoloured lights, glittering tinsel, and gloriously gaudy baubles on are far older than Christmas, and even older than the dinosaurs.
Conifers first appeared over 300 million years ago, back in the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. Long before Santa, stockings, or even T. rex, these trees were already quietly perfecting their needle-like leaves and tough cones.
Those needles are no accident either. They’re brilliantly adapted for cold, dry conditions, shedding snow easily and holding onto water, which is why conifers are still so common in wintry landscapes today. Turns out, they were already built for Christmas millions of years before we decided to decorate them!
Dinosaurs would’ve walked beneath relatives of these trees, and Ice Age mammals later sheltered among them too.
This week’s sketch shows an artists (well, my) impression of a decorated conifer in a fog covered Forrest, which with 99.9% confidence, is not how they would have looked!
Fossil conifers are often found as petrified wood, cone impressions, or leaf fragments. Subtle fossils, but incredibly important for understanding ancient climates and ecosystems.
Fun fact: Some modern conifers are among the oldest living organisms on Earth. Bristlecone pines can live for nearly 5,000 years!
