A forest just upland from a lakeshore, Yixian Formation, 123 million years ago. In the foreground trunks of Pityocladus and Elatocladus are fallen. Cladophlebis is the upright stem and foliage in the foreground, far right.  Liaoningocladus is next, then 3 Pityocladus trunks from right center to far left. In the background canopy we see Cladophlebis tree ferns and a diverse plant community. When trees fell due to erosion, storms, wildfire, or natural mortality, they provided a unique habitat, as we shall see in the next post.

Here are a pair of Aurornis xui, the male displaying to the female. This is from the Tiaojishan Formation, Late Jurassic, Liaoning China. It is a seasonally dry woodland dominated by bennettites and cycads. To the left is Pterophyllum festum, an arborescent bennettite. The trunk is Bucklandia type. To the right is the cycad Ctenis leeiana. The leaf litter includes both and also Schizolepis sp. and Cycadolepis sp.

Forest floor, Yixian Formation, Early Cretaceous, Liaoning China. On this shallow, eroding, slope the canopy trees (Pityocladus/Schizolepis: seen as fallen log with attached leaves all the way to right, Baiera, Liaoningocladus) have been frequently disturbed, and pioneers like tree ferns (Cladophlebis spp.) and bennettites (Tyrmia acrodonta) have sprung up. The understory includes the ferns Eboracia lobifolia, Coniopteris burejensis, Bortrychites reheensis, and the moss Muscites tenellus.

This is my sketch of Schizolepis, which I am interpreting as basically a pinacean cone.