Firemans Mem. Fossils

The bluffs behind the firemans Memorial on 87th+BlueRiver are loaded with all sorts of exciting fossils and minerals. It is frequently visited and used by rock clubs and for geology fieldtrips by UMKC. It is warm and very windy>
I immediately found a handful of ringnecks and two large skinks with orange faces- only got a glimpse of them, and I dont know what kind they'd be.

Branched coral, a small chrinoid stem and some kind of Brachiopod.
Exposed are many differesnt layers of limestones, shale and flint. The majority of fossils are in the eroded porion on top of the first level. Fossils are usually found clean and sitting on top of the grey dirt. More common ones include chrinoid segments, bryozoa, horn corals and mullusks.
Today I ventured further that I have ever before and discovered a huge chrinoid!Its about 2in long and the diameter of a penny!
(left) a small fossil found in shale- only a few mm in diameter.




The shale here is pretty interesting. It is often easy to peel away from other layers and will leave pathes of brown and blue crystals. If your luck enough, enen a smaller fossil will show its face! Ive heard many rumors that trilobites have been found in Swope's shale. Most of the rumors have been about a certain deopsite a hill of two south of BlueRiver glades that I have yet to check out.
(right) a small unknown fossil and pyrite on fragment of shale.
(below)When a shell is fossilized holding seawater, the minerals inside will form crystals and as long as the shell is airtight the crystals will survive until they are exposed.

I collected a small handful of rocks an a large one for the garden- left that small pyrite shale thing, though I knew when I reviewed the photos that I shoulda nabbed it! ...put the fossils in the truck and ventured back to those puddles below the rocks. The screams of a few species of frogs and toads make it sound like there is an army on the other side of the puddle in the cattails. Before I ever got to the origin of the noise, I started find pairs of American toads mating. I bothered one blob of toad for a few minutes and returned to the frog hunt.

I must have looked goofy crawling through the mud off of 87th!

I saw a single small, dark frog- couldnt catch it. I identified the calls from the toads and chorus frogs, but didnt recognise two others.