SE6 - The Redwoods of Colorado

Redwoods in Colorado? What if the pine trees and deep snow of the Colorado Rockies are sitting right on top of an ancient, tropical jungle? 35 million years ago, the heart of Colorado's South Park basin and the Florissant Valley looked more like Central America than the high altitude country we know today. Giant, 150 foot tall redwoods choked the humid valleys, while rhinoceros sized "thunder beasts" crashed through the underbrush. But these massive trees carried a strange evolutionary secret from a past life in the ice free high Arctic - and their mountain paradise was about to meet a violent, volcanic end. In this short episode, we chart the epic 65 million year-old Odyssey of the Redwood family tree. We explore their massive migration down the continent, the catastrophic volcanic mud flows that trapped them in stone, and the mind blowing 1943 plot twist that proved a branch of this prehistoric forest never actually went extinct. In this episode, you'll discover: The Backyard Monster - How the Guffey Volcanic Complex created a world class fossil goldmine. The Arctic Secret: Why an ancient Colorado redwoods drop their needles in the winter time, unlike California redwoods. The Botanical Time capsule: How the catastrophic mud flows of Lake Florissant perfectly sealed away a prehistoric world. Hiding in Plain Sight: The jaw-dropping 1943 "rediscover" of China's living "dinosaur" tree. Hit play and travel back 35 million years into Colorado's hidden tropical past!