Theodore Cockerell

Theodore D. A. Cockerell

Theodore D. A. Cockerell (1866 -1948) was a professor at University of Colorado.

 

Wilmatte and Theodore Cockerell

Theodore and his wife, Wilmatte, led three expeditions to Florissant in the summers of 1906 to 1908.

They collected impressive fossil insects, spiders, plants, and mollusks and described 333 new species. . Following these expeditions, he wrote that “There has accumulated an almost embarassing amount of material, and many remarkable things have been discovered.”

Cockerell published 140 papers on Florissant fossils between 1906 and 1941. His collections went to many different museums.

 

Fagopsis longifolia

The expeditions Cockerell led produced some of the most beautiful and important specimens found in the lake shales of Florissant.

In 1907, Cockerell’s wife Wilmatte found this excellent specimen of Fagopsis longifolia, an extinct member of the beech family. The fruits, leaves, and twigs fossils of Fagopsis have all been found at Florissant.