Dragonfly fossil, about 150 million years old, in Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany

© Ingo Arndt/Minden Picture

Making an impression. In praise of the old … the very old

It's rare to find a fossil that is so well preserved, but this amazing dragonfly was discovered in Solnhofen, in the German state of Bavaria, where limestone deposits have revealed some of the most detailed fossils ever found. This dragonfly was preserved in the limestone about 150 million years ago in the Jurassic Period and measures about 14cm across.

Other fascinating finds in Solnhofen include a fossilised Archaeopteryx – a winged creature about the size of a magpie, which is seen as an important evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds.

In the USA today they are celebrating National Fossil Day, but you can have a good look around here too, either online or in some of the UK’s best fossil-hunting sites, from Lyme Regis and the Isle of Wight to Penarth and Helmsdale. Who knows what prehistoric discoveries you might stumble across?