The secrets of the moler

Fossils found in the moler (diatomite) along Limfjorden show that, among other creatures, butterflies lived in Denmark some 55 million years ago. The climate was subtropical then, so the species were different from those of today. Among the finds is the world’s oldest fossil of a butterfly – a now extinct species belonging to the family we today call the skippers. The specimen, found on the island of Fur, is very well preserved and has been declared “danekræ”, i.e. of unique natural-history value.