What appeared near the beginning of the Cretaceous period?

The most notable group of organisms that evolved at the beginning of the Cretaceous are the flowering plants, or angiOSperms. Today, these are the majority of plants on Earth. All fruit bearing plants and grasses are angiOSperms. At the same time as these evolved, new insects evolved that pollinated the flowers. Additionally, birds evolved either during the late Jurassic or the early Cretaceous.