Samuel Scudder

Samuel Scudder examining a fossil with a hand lens

Samuel H. Scudder (1837 – 1911) was one of the early pioneer scientists, who first studied insect fossils collected by the Hayden Survey.

Scudder visited Florissant valley in August 1877 and again in the early 1880s, as well as in 1889.

 

Plate from Scudder's book, “The Tertiary Insects of North America”

Scudder described about 600 species of insect and spider fossils found at Florissant between 1876 – 1890.

In 1890, he published “The Tertiary Insects of North America.” He was especially interested in butterflies and moths. Today, his collections are at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Arthur Lake, a geologist, visited the fossil beds with Scudder in 1877 and produced the first geologic map of Florissant.

 

Prodryas persephone, a butterfly described by Samuel Scudder

This fossil butterfly, discovered by a local homesteader Charlotte Hill, is still considered one of the best preserved butterfly fossils in the world.

It was also the first butterfly described from North America.