Even so, fossil leaf counts show that nearly ninety percent of plant species in North America died out 65 million years ago. Plant species that vanished from North America survive in Australia today. When the ash cleared, plants far from the impact rebounded. North America, though, was all but swept clean. Still, for some plants a devastated landscape can be an opportunity.
Scientists find evidence of many ferns in North America after the impact.
That's because ferns sprout from wind-borne spores, so they're often the first plant colonists in destroyed landscapes. Thanks for your question, James. With thanks to the National Science Foundation, we're Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.