Early Cretaceous, ~130–100 million years agoReputable sourceWell documented

The First Flowers Bloom

On the timeline · around Early Cretaceous, ~130–100 million years ago · The Cretaceous

What happened

Flowering plants (angiosperms) appeared and rapidly spread during the Cretaceous, diversifying across the world and transforming ecosystems on land.

Why it matters

Flowers reshaped life on Earth — co-evolving with insects and offering new foods for dinosaurs. Nearly all the plants and crops we rely on today descend from this Cretaceous revolution.

Sources

Natural History Museum. The Cretaceous Period: what was Earth like before dinosaurs went extinct? · Reputable source

Part of a timelineThe Age of Dinosaurs24 events · From the Great Dying to the asteroid that ended it all — 186 million years of dinosaurs, giants, and the birds they left behind, every milestone sourced.View all →