Recreating the Carboniferous is an exciting project that allows me to showcase a unique and well-preserved fossil ecosystem.
- Location: Northeastern Illinois, USA.
- Timeframe: Late Carboniferous Period, around 309 million years ago.
- Environment: A shallow sea with lush swamp forests bordering its shores. The area experienced periodic flooding events, which rapidly buried and preserved plants and animals, leading to the exceptionally well-preserved fossils
Flora: The dominant plants were giant lycopsids (primitive trees) like Lepidodendron and Sigillaria, along with ferns and other understory plants.

Fauna: diverse insect life, including giant dragonflies like Meganeura, cockroaches, and early ancestors of crickets and grasshoppers. Additionally, fish, amphibians, and even some early reptiles inhabited the area.

Works cited:
https://www.esconi.org/esconi_earth_science_club/mazon-monday/